European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 16, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 a the stars and Stripe columns David Broder Panama invasion met Weinberger a criteria Here in Arlington deep in the heart of Texas they love what George Bush has done in Panama. A it was  said the waiter at a restaurant near the rangers Ballpark. And the polls suggest his sentiments Are a lot closer to inc National consensus than those expressed that same Day in a full Page and in the new York times. Signed by 69 left Wing politicians and activists including 1972 democratic presidential nominee George Mcgovern former sen. . Fulbright and novelist . Doctorow. The open letter to the president said a your invasion of Panama is illegal. A violation of the Constitution. The . Charter the  organization of american states and the canal  it will cause Quot the undermining of . Credibility  other Liberal commentators have stopped Hort of such broadsides but still have questioned the prudence of Bush s action. To hear them Tell it former panamanian strongman Gen. Manuel Antonio Noriega now has Bush right where lie wants him. They see Bush quaking in his boots at the thought of the Cia secrets Noriega might spill in court. What nonsense. This Static on the left should not obscure the fact that Panama represents the Best evidence yet that 15 years after the Vietnam War ended americans really have come log thai in recognition of the circumstances where military intervention makes sense. The elements of agreement have been in place for some time. Bush s contribution is to demonstrate that the new National consensus will survive when tested. The Best single definition of that consensus came from former Secretary of defense Caspar w. Weinberger in a speech at the National press club a few weeks after the 1984 election. The context was important. The biggest part of the military buildup had been accomplished. But president Reagan s first term had seen serious debate within the administration and Between the administration and Congress on the use of arms. Though they ended differently both the Lebanon a peacekeeping Quot Mission and the Grenada a Rescue Mission had raised More questions than they answered. Weinberger responding to pressures the it Vaslow amp coup atom of Panama us. Apache helicopters within the uniformed services for assurances that they would not be sent on any More missions impossible missions implausible or missions unsuitable deliberately defined criteria for military intervention that he knew would be hard to meet. Quot when we ask our military forces to risk their very lives Quot he said a a note of caution is not Only prudent it is morally  Weinberger Laid Down six criteria first Quot the United states should not commit forces to combat overseas unless the engagement. Is deemed vital to our National  second if we commit combat troops a we should do so wholeheartedly and with the Clear intention of winning Quot if we arc unwilling to commit the forces necessary to achieve our objectives we should not commit them at  third Quot if we do decide to commit forces. We should have clearly defined political and military objectives and we should know precisely now our forces can accomplish those  fourth the objectives and forces must be consonant in scale. Getting Halfway involved is worse than staying out. Fifth a before the . Commits forces there must be some reasonable Assurance we will have the support of the american people and their elected representatives in Congress. This support cannot be achieved unless we Are candid in making Clear the threats we face. The support cannot be sustained without continuing and close consultation. We cannot fight a Battle with the Congress at Home while asking our troops to win a War  sixth even if All these other tests arc met Quot the commitment of . Forces to combat should be a last  these criteria were Well considered and Well phrased. They were praised at the time and As the years passed they achieved an Ever wider acceptance. The Best evidence of this came during the 1988 presidential Campaign when democratic nominee Michael Dukakis after floundering around on the question of military interventions came up with a set of standards strikingly similar to Weinberger a. . Stealth fits hers 0.5. M-4� tanks us. Armor6p personnel carriers 2.4,50� . Troops is american servicemen fat it 300 panamanian civilians killed �?6/.s.�377ata7s imagine that nicaraguan ambassador havens All those Aba Pons in his House when we broke into it As Madeleine Albright Dukakis senior adviser on foreign policy told Norman Kemp scr of the los Angeles times a the has said that the United states would obviously use Force to deter aggression against its territory to protect american citizens to Honor our treaty obligations and take action against terrorists. One ought to explore diplomatic options and the use of Force should be there As a last resort rather than a first  the Panama invasion met All of those tests and that is Why it commanded such Strong support not Only in Texas but across the nation. But the people i be been interviewing Are also Clear that the circumstances that justified intervention in Panama arc not going to be present in Many other places. They Are writing no Blank checks. We have in fact achieved a Good Deal of clarity in the nation on this question which divided us so badly during and after the Vietnam War. That s an important achievement and one which should not be obscured by a few dissident voices on the left. The we she Nylon pop Jim Fain women should have right to choose combat women in combat Why not Joan of arc did All right. Amazons were the Green berets of greek mythology. Heroism in peace or War has no gender. Several female soldiers tasted Battle in Panama. Such details As just what happened when Cape. Linda Bray led an my platoon against defenders of a guard dog Kennel scarcely matter. What counts is that she and other women performed effectively under fire As some have in most of our wars. Subtract the myth from any military heroes biography and it la bore you silly. Fax it. Though. That to Many feminists make a holy grail of combat. I never understood Why female Texas aggie picketed for the right to Cut Down Trees at the annual Bonfire. Cutting Down Trees is not a Day at the Beach. Neither is a firefight. Near the end of world War ii some generals assembled an air Force Armada on Okinawa to bomb what was left of the japanese Fleet. We had Only three Days they explained before the Navy would Knock it out with a Carrier Force. A Fine with us a thought the Battle weary Crews who would Fly the Mission. Quot bestow upon them All that Honor and glory. Well Settle for a  the generals had no idea How their troops Felt. Otherwise they a have briefed us that the Mission was essential to getting the War Over or something that made sense. Career troops set vast store on getting tickets punched to show they be met the Battle test. Custom makes this a condition of promotion to the loftier ranks though most military functions arc unrelated to combat performance. Indeed True warriors Seldom do Well in Garrison. They Lack stomach for the Back scratching Buck passing group groping protocols that Lead to stardom. For that reason alone the women who make up percent of today All Volunteer army Hauld have e right to elect combat. It s unjust to proffer them a career As soldiers and deny them an equal Chance of rising to the top. Most of the arguments against a combat role for women Are silly. The notion that Guys will be too concerned about the women s welfare to do their Basic jobs for example. Or the business about disturbing the bonding of combat units. That comes with team performance under fire. It has Zero to do with sex. The Only pertinent question is physical capacity. Women who meet that requirement ought have no Bounds on where they can go. Whether women a even in an Ali Volunteer army a should be required to enter combat is another Story 1 come Down on the negative. There s a difference Between having a right to do something and being told you have to do it. Id exempt women from that compulsion if for no other reason than that we rely on mothers to keep a modicum of sanity in society. Combat is a brutish hellish business a those surreal seconds of terror in the Overall boredom of War. Though it brings out Good qualities in most of those caught up in it it s anything but ennobling. Not Many go through it very Long without lasting scars. Absurd however to deny women careerists their fight to those scars. A relic of act a Many Yem ago when a Bright girl i knew was informed that females could not attend a state veterinary College. Well know we re rid of such nonsense when we no longer find a Quot first woman on the nightly news a whether in fireman s uniform space combat or the White House. Con we Sorott the opinions expressed in the columns and cartoons on this Page represent those of the authors and Art in no Way to be considered As representing the views of the stars and stripes or the United states government