Dean urged Clinton to take unilateral action in Bosnia

USATODAY ^ | 01/14/04 | Steve Komarow

[Pikamax]

Dean urged Clinton to take unilateral action in Bosnia By Steve Komarow, USA TODAY Democratic presidential contender Howard Dean, a strong critic of what he calls President Bush's unilateral approach to foreign policy, urged President Clinton to act unilaterally and enter the war in Bosnia in 1995. (Related item: Text of letter) "I have reluctantly concluded that the efforts of the United States and NATO in Bosnia are a complete failure," he wrote, citing reports of genocide during the Bosnian civil war. "If we ignore these behaviors ... our moral fiber as a people becomes weakened. ... We must take unilateral action."

[Larry381]

I wish they would stop picking on my man Howie. Just because he's a lying phony is no reason to keep hammering him like this. If this keeps up he'll lose the nomination and one of the other clowns will win and Bush might only win 47 states.

[grania]

I see the fingerprints of Bill Clinton all over this and the timing of this release!

Assuming that's the case (and they actually read mail from Governor Dean, and saved it), we finally have something to thank the Clintons for.

I promise not to make fun of the ugly pants suits for at least three days.

[Dog]

You all know what this means?

The Clintons have decided it is time to bring Dean down.....watch the next few days.....they will destroy Howie....with leaks.

[Dog]

William I bet this came from the President Clintons Presidential archives..

[BulletBobCo]

You all know what this means?

[rintense]

My brother just left for a year long stint as a UN Peacekeeper in Bosnia. He is a member of the Michigan Nat'l. Guard. What a waste. They should be along our borders, not in Bosnia.

[evad]

His advisers say his stance has remained consistent over the years

The only thing consistent about this flip flopper is his flip flopping on ever issue.

He has absolutely no basics or core values to fall back on.

Bush "sold the war on the basis of an imminent threat to U.S. security, and that has now been shown to be false," Ben-Ami said.

That statement by Ben-Ami is a bold faced lie.

Bush made it very clear that to wait until the threat becomes imminent is NOT an option.

[miss marmelstein]

Don't prematurely thank them. This is the start of some diabolical moves by the Clintons.

[dirtboy]

Kudos to USA Today for this article, especially their bitch-slapping of the latest incarnation of the imminence front routine at the end.

[Dante3]

bttt

[Lee'sGhost]

"You just have to wonder --- HOW did this memo from Dean come to light at the USAToday? "


Dingdingdingdingding. Yes. That was my first thought. The CLINTON'S fingerprints are all over this.

[cynicom]

Clintons??????????????

[Stultis]

Actually Dean was right, at least about lifting the arms embargo. If the Croats and Bosnians and had been permitted to respond to the Serbian land grabs early on the situation was be immeasurably better today, and we probably would never have had to get involved. It woulda still been messy, but nothing remotely like cluster-#&( that resulted from the Euroweenies and internationalists actively interfering with the ability of people in the Balkans to defend themselves and their homes.

[TigersEye]

Eagleburger himself said that Bosnian Muslims are being killed everyday in Bosnia Herzegovina and we have to show to the Islamic world that we care and are willing to do something about it.

One Worlders; every single one of them.

[ItsOurTimeNow]

I'm not sure which is worse:

1) That Team Xlinton would resort to such blatant stumping tactics, leaving their fingerprints all over this "leak".

Or

2) That they think the Average American is dumb enough to NOT see how obvious this is.

[nmh]

Nothing like seeing a politician reveling in slow self destruct mode. Keep talking Dean ... .

[Stultis]

In other words, President Bush, Mr. Baker, Mr. Eagleburger, et al, never intended to be impartial in the Bosnian civil war and were willing, if necessary, to present a distorted, anti-Serbian bias to the American people and a favorable image of the Bosnian Muslims regardless of their shadowy part in the war.

Eagleburger himself said that Bosnian Muslims are being killed everyday in Bosnia Herzegovina and we have to show to the Islamic world that we care and are willing to do something about it.

And the fact is he was right. But you're wrong that Bush I supported the Bosnians against the Serbs, just because of the words you quote. Words are cheap. The Bosnians and Croats needed arms, and Bush I agreed with keeping the embargo in place. The Yugoslav army was overextended in Croatia, and ditto the land-grabbing Bosnian Serbs (representing, what 10-20 percent of the population, but trying to control 60-70 percent of the land).

The only thing the Serbs had going for them was that they were much better armed (thanks to the Russians). Had we and the Europeans allowed a fair fight, the situation probably would have sorted itself out and stabilized fairly quickly. We would have never had to get involved, nor would the Islamonazi jihadists (previously foreign to and unpopular in the region) have been giving the golden opportunity to plant their noxious tentacles midst the drawn out and festering strife.

[Pietro]

"As the Catholic Church and others lost credibility during the Holocaust for not speaking out..."

Dean is a despicable worm, how dare he criticize the only entity ON THE GROUND in Eur. during those dark days to stand against the wholesale slaughter.

This gratuitous knock on the church gives us a clear idea of how deeply he knows history and religion.

[Stultis]

They should be along our borders, not in Bosnia.

Agree about Bosnia, but then as I've said in other messages that's to a great extent our (and the Europeans) own fault for not supporting the principle of self-defense in the Balkans from the beginning. But on the border? Each 10,000 troops cost about $1,000,000,000 to train arm and support. Border guards can be trained, equipped and compensated (I feel certain) for much less. Militarizing the borders would be an unconscionable waste of valuable resources, IMHO.

That said, best wishes for your brother, and thanks for his service.

[prairiebreeze]

This letter isn't a good reflection on Weasley Clark either. If one thinks about it. I wonder if Wes will have any reaction to this.

Prairie