European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 25, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday july 25, 1991 the stars and stripes Page 13commentary Mike Feinsilber Gulf conflict Likely to become forgettable no one much talks about the mexi can american War these Days but it i seemed important at the time. It just about ended the political career of Abra Ham Lincoln. He was a Dove and his Illinois constituents were mostly Hawks. Its been Only 51 weeks since Saddam f Hussein oct Fried Kuwait giving Rise to the persian Gulf War that not Fong ago. Seemed like the most important event since the end of world War ii. It kept americans up All night a watching the War on television. President Bush compared Saddam to Hitler. History will Tell How in the longer View this War will shake Down and where i it will fit when measured against Ameri cars other wars a the revolutionary i War the War of 1812, the mexican the i civil the Spanish american world wars i and ii the korean the Vietnam and the cold. If you can to wait and you push historians for instant evaluations of the Gulf War some surprising answers emerge a As a purely military Enterprise the i War is losing its gloss. A a technological Turkey shoot a said j Warren Kimball a Rutgers University i historian who specializes in War. A if it had been More painful to the. United states it would have made a More lasting imprint in history. A wounds magnify a War a said Yale University a Henry Ashby Turner. \ a a we re not going to have Long lists of casualties on brass plaques in american towns. So the Odds Are that the War is going to quickly fade in National memory if we get out of there without a lot More  i a by virtue of the ease with which it was won the War May come to be seen As an event that subsequently caused America to throw its weight around. A since there weren to Many losses it could tend to make the use of military Force a bit easier a Kimball said. A i was pleased to see that Bush did no to Send the special forces into Croatia to keep the  a the wars most lasting achievement May be to establish the principle not i jelled yet of a intrusive inspection of a hostile  the Way in which the United nations is insisting on the right to inspect the nooks of Iraq for troublemaking nuclear capacity is something new in humanity a efforts to Abate its own destruction said John Gaddis a diplomatic historian at Ohio University. History Gaddis said also will note with astonishment the disparity in the casualties about 200 Allied deaths and an estimated 100,000 iraqi deaths. As for the wars Overall place Gaddis judges that american history will deem it As having been in the Long term National interest will conclude a it was done reasonably Well and will note that precedent of involuntary International inspection. Yale Sturner Isnit so sure. A was we get More perspective it wont seem so surprising that the greatest military Power in the world could defeat a third world country with a population about twice that of new jerseys. Turner regrets that Bush did not see if his objectives could have been won without War in View of the precedent that would have set. History he said May judge the War was a a missed Opportunity to break really new ground by attempting through economic sanctions to achieve the same goal without  Kimball ranks the War As historically insignificant a maybe a More important than a few of the Indian wars and the Grenada and Panama  a the popular View of it As a great american Triumph will probably persist for quite a while a Turner said a but it will come under question Down the Road especially since we Don t know the end of it  today is the new deadline set by the United nations for Iraq to come clean about its nuclear material equipment and facilities or face a serious  a this May have Only been the first round a Turner said. A if we March into Baghdad 50 years from now we might still be up to our vital organs in iraqi politics. It took us nearly half a Century to get out of. Europe after the second world War. A that Story of course worked out  c Tho associated Pross Steve Gerste Senate staged Blitzkrieg to capture pay raise Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf would have been proud of the Senate a military style Campaign for bigger salaries. It was secret Swift and successful. Using the cover of darkness the Senate carried the operation to conclusion in about 45 minutes without Advance leaks to the Media catching the enemy buried deep in their office building trenches. Republican sen. Charles e. Grassley of Iowa was one of the enemy who never knew what hit him. Speaking in opposition to the pay raise Grassley said he planned to take Only a a few minutes and suggested that the legions on his Side should get to the Senate chamber to join the Battle. Nobody showed up. The tattered Banner of the anti pay troops was carried by liberals such As sen. Barbara a. Mikulski d-md., and one of the Senate a or. Moneybags sen. I rank r. Lautenberg . Once the cease fire was declared the Senate had voted 53-45 to raise the pay Quot fits members from $101,900 to $125,100 a a tidy $23,200 boost for a nights work. In return the Senate banned fees for speaking and writing. No one should suggest a and so far no one has a that this Blitzkrieg was a routine performance with the possible exception that the Senate seems now to enact More legislation at night than during the Day. Given word by sen. Robert c. Byrd d-w.va., the seasoned Veteran who had taken command that the votes were in hand Senate democratic Leader George j. Mitchell of Maine almost immediately stopped deliberation on another Bill to take up the pay raise. There was no Advance Alert and even leadership aides who Are forthcoming on the Senate a schedule declined answers. Planning for the Battle probably started in 1989 when the House of representatives voted to raise the pay of its members to $125,100 As of Jan. 1 this year. The Senate failed to exhibit similar courage. Therefore at the Dawn of the year senators found themselves much to their dismay with smaller paychecks than their Brethren in the House. That in itself was galling considering that senators feel they belong to the a upper body and habitually consign House members to the a lower  but the wound became even More raw when Roll Call the Capitol Hill newspaper disclosed that 81 House staff aides were making More than senators an affront beyond the Pale. Yet no matter How angry Senate leaders knew that to pass a pay raise both democrats and republicans had to deliver a majority and the procedure could not generate into an All out Brawl in the chamber. And getting the majority was made difficult by the presence of senators who Are up for re election next year and who More than the others a Are afraid to death of the 30-second television spot a As one senator remarked. But eight of the 35 up for re election in 1992 took the risk. Without them the Effort would have failed. Many of the richest senators a although not All a also chipped in their votes including sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia who is seriously considering a run at the democratic presidential nomination. Any comparison Between Schwarzkopf a desert storm Campaign and the Success of the Senate in acquiring More Money for its members ended when the vote was announced. There wont be any parades for the senators when they come Home from this War. C thu associated press the opinions expressed in the columns and cartoons on tins Page represent those of the authors and Are 111 no Way to be considered As representing the views of the stars Ami stripes or the United states government