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Pastimes : Kosovo -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Neocon who wrote (5760)	4/28/1999 5:37:00 PM
From: goldsnow	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 17770

U.S. House Votes To Curb Clinton's Power On Troops 03:53 p.m Apr 28, 1999 Eastern By Christopher Wilson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday voted to block funding for the deployment of American ground troops in the Balkan conflict unless President Clinton first gains the approval of Congress. Although congressional Republican leaders are enthusiastically planning to double Clinton's own request for $6 billion to finance the war, the House voted 249 to 180 to bar funding for ground forces unless they are specifically authorized in advance by Congress. ''Let's not put our young men and women...in the position where they are on the ground under fire and the president is consulting with the Congress of the United States after the fact, of their being in harm's way,'' declared House majority leader Dick Armey, a Republican from Texas. ''Congress and the president together can make a commitment to those troops to define a mission and equip them to complete that mission with the highest possible degree of effectiveness with the lowest conceivable level of personal threat.'' In its first full debate since air strikes began against Yugoslavia, the House voted not only to restrict Clinton's ability to commit ground forces, but also on a grab-bag of related proposals designed to press the president to consult with Congress on the war. ''Many of us believe that we should have a Congressional vote before sending in ground troops. But this amendment ties the hands of our military commanders and could leave the bordering nations, more than a million refugees and thousands of our own soldiers dangerously exposed,'' said David Bonior from Michigan, the second ranking Democrat in the House. Complicating the debate were two proposals by California Republican Tom Campbell which sought to force Congress to make a stark choice between formally declaring war against Yugoslavia, or withdrawing U.S. forces from the Balkans. Both these proposals are expected to be rejected, but must be voted on by the full house under provisions triggered by the 1973 War Powers Act -- a piece of Vietnam-era legislation. ''We now have four conflicting, contradictory, mutually exclusive resolutions with each of them given one hour of debate. With all due respect I think this is an outrage,'' declared Tom Lantos, a Democrat from California. ''This will be one of the most significant issues this Congress will debate in this session or for many sessions to come.'' With the U.S.-led NATO air strikes against Yugoslavia in their fifth week, many Republicans remained critical of the Clinton administration's strategy in prosecuting the war. At the same time demands have grown more vocal that Clinton spell out clearly America's objectives before committing ground forces. ''Yes we're at war. We're on the verge of ground troops. The (Constitution's) framers were quite clear that war was too important to be decided by one individual. Ground troops are very seriously being considered. Therefore we must vote.'' said Campbell. Many Republicans have criticized Clinton's strategy in Yugoslavia on the basis that his administration had not planned sufficiently for contingencies in case the air war failed to pressure Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic to withdraw his forces from Kosovo. Wednesday that appeared to be changing as U.S. lawmakers voiced their fears that ground troops could quickly become bogged down in a Balkan quagmire. ''While the president and his national security team have said they do not intend to deploy ground troops, there is a real possibility that this conflict will escalate to involve them,'' said Republican Tillie Fowler of Florida, a co-sponsor of the proposal to deny funding for ground forces unless approved by Congress. ''I do not believe our national security interests in Kosovo rise to a level that warrants the commitment of U.S. ground troops. Moreover I'm deeply concerned that this administration has not articulated an exit strategy for U.S. ground forces.'' Copyright 1999 Reuters Limited.

To: Neocon who wrote (5760)	4/28/1999 5:38:00 PM
From: MulhollandDrive	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 17770

well see, that's where you and I differ, based on the psychological profile that I read on Clinton, I can readily accept that when it comes to human lives, there really is a cognitive disconnect as to his actions. I have therefore concluded that he is a dangerous Commander in Chief. bp