European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 6, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday january 6, 1993 commentary the stars and stripes Paga 13 Harry g. Summers to be prepared for War is one of the most effectual Means of preserving peace a said president George Washington in his first address to the Congress in january 1790. More than 200 years later that sentiment has received endorsement from a most unlikely Quarter. Page of the new York times on dec. 12, the Rev. William Sloan coffin one of the military s most vociferous critics Quot backs the presence of american forces in Somalia and. Is at least witling to contemplate military measures against serbian forces in Bosnia. It he a far from alone a reported Peter Steinfels. Among pacifists and intellectuals most concerned with the ethical issues of War fare there is a widespread reexamination of the morality of military intervention to Deal with the ethnic cleansing in Bosnia or the politically induced starvation in Somalia. And some of these people say. Many More such conflicts Are inevitable As Are the agonizing questions they  among those Quot agonizing questions is the conundrum posed by the fact that the very military organizations armaments and equipment they so adamantly opposed Over the years Are the same forces that make american humanitarian intervention abroad possible. Quot some crises in the world cannot be resolved without american involvement a said president Bush on dec. 4, when he ordered the somalian Relief operation into action. Quot Only the United states has the global reach to place a Large Security Force on the ground in such a Distant place quickly and efficiently and thus save thousands of innocents from  forces forces did not just happen. They grew out of the remarkable Post Vietnam Renaissance that began some 20 years ago at the naval War College and rapidly spread throughput the armed forces. The result is the most highly educated Best trained armed and equipped military in american history. Its professionalism was evident in the Gulf War and is apparent again today in the Way it is accomplishing its Mission in Somalia. A instead of the Dregs of society which in the past All too often constituted a peacetime military today s Al Volunteer Force represents americans Best. Most of the enlisted personnel Are High school graduates most offi cers Are College graduates and almost All senior officers have advanced degrees. Their skills Are further honed by sophisticated education and training programs within the services ranging from the War and staff colleges to gunnery training simulators at the unit level. These manpower costs do not come cheap. And neither docs the Quot global reach that provides America necessity of a Strong military unique ability to deploy support and sustain its forces in crisis areas around the world Power projection has been a particular target of anti military activists yet it was precisely that capability that allowed us to act so quickly to relieve the suffering in Somalia. A. For example when the decision was made to intervene in Somalia a Marine expeditionary unit assigned to the . Central coma whose area of responsibility includes the Middle East and the Horn of Africa was afloat nearby. Included was a ground element the 2d in 9th marines an air element hmm 164, with transport and attack helicopters and a logistics element which included a civil affairs unit. Providing immediate support were the Supply ships of the maritime repositioning so at the Island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. Immediately reinforcing these Forward elements were the 1st Marine expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton Calif. The army a 10th Mountain div Light from fort drum . Navy Seabee construction battalions and others including my youngest son an army major detailed to the joint task Foric staff. Rushing them into place were the air mobility Comdr a much maligned c-5 cargo planes c-141 Jet transport aircraft and contract air carriers from the civil Reserve air Fleet and the commercial airlines. Making this Quot air Bridges possible were Aerial tankers a originally designed As part of the now defunct strategic air Comdr a intercontinental bomber feet a which had already been repositioned around the world. Meanwhile air Force c-130 combat transports including air National guard units whose overseas training had been bitterly opposed by the Quot peace movement had been Busy since August flying Relief supplies from Kenya into Remote areas throughout Somalia. Ironically if coffin and friends had been successful in their efforts t o promote peace by eliminating our ability to wage War they would have eliminated our ability to wage peace As Well. Preparing for War does indeed preserve the Pence in ways they must Fin most galling to admit. _ c los Angelos times Iran Contra pardons won t end controversy t when Congress sets about reviving the Law for special prosecutors in alleged High level wrongdoing it s going to be some show a big names in bitter dispute Over the Iran Contra Case and president Bush a pardons. Senate and House hearings or. A new version of the Independent counsel Law that expired dec. 13 probably will be the forum for the first official look at those prosecutions and the six Christmas eve pardons that infuriated the special prosecutor Lawrence e. Walsh. Senior republicans were no less angry at a Walsh operation which they said had become a political attack on Bush. The special prosecutor Law dated from 1978, a Post watergate Reform measure enacted on the premise that there is a conflict of interest in having the Justice department oversee prosecutions against officials of the same administration. There have been 11 Independent counsels All but two of them named to investigate cases involving republicans simply because the system was set up to Deal with the executive Branch they Nave controlled for 12 year Power shifts to the democrats on Jan. 20. Ami that would seem to shift the political incentive for renewal As Well. Republican opposition in the Senate barred the Extension of the Independent counsel Law last fall sponsors said they a be Back in 1993.a democratic administration would be the target of any special prosecutors in the next four years and that presumably will alter gop attitudes still Republican anger Over the six year $32 million Iran Contra Case and its 1992 Campaign fallout a a 1986 memo damaging to Bush was released the Friday before the election a is going to be a Factor in the renewal debate. There s talk of changing the system to make future prosecutors accountable for their operations and subject to. Limits on their pending. As the system has operate they Are appointed by the courts then Are Independent. An attorney general can fire a special prosecutor for misconduct subject to court review. President elect Clinton has said he favors renewal of the Independent counsel Law. He also has expressed concern at any appearance growing out of the Bush pardons that government officials Are beyond the Law. Bush said nobody should read that into his Anions of former Secretary of defense Caspar a. Weinberger and five other Iran Contra defendants. A nobody Walter Mears is above the Law a he said. The president also hired a lawyer. Walsh said after the pardons that Bush was a subject of the investigation for failing to turn Over ail of his notes. He accused Bush of misconduct and cover up. Quot whether criminal or not it shows the ethics of the administration in a Way that i could not have demonstrated a Walsh said in a dec. 26 interview with the Washington Post. Weinberger said Walsh a accusations were scurrilous and called the whole special prosecution system in american Quot if he should find some letter from president Bush to gov. Clinton in four or five years he May still be in operation a Weinberger added in an Abc to interview. A the is. Out of control has operated from completely political motives and has attempted to coerce false testimony Quot Walsh said the Weinberger Pardon completed a six year cover up and showed a that powerful people with powerful allies can commit serious crimes in High office. Without  Bush said the complaint that he believed some people were above the Law was stupid. That a the first instalment with More to come. Sen. Carl Levin d-mich., said the Case and the pardons would be reviewed when he holds Senate hearings on the Independent counsel Bill although he called that the second Best forum and said it should have been played out in court. He said Walsh and Weinberger Are among the witnesses his panel will want to hear. In addition whatever Walsh decides about further prosecution efforts he has a final report to file when he a done rep. Lee a Hamilton d-lnd., said the report and recommendations probably will reflect the prosecutors anger at Bush Over the pardons. Hamilton who presided at the confessional investigation of Iran Contra Ive years ago opposed the pardons and said hearings on the special prosecutor Bill Are the right place to review them. It wont make any difference a presidents Power to Pardon to absolute. In exercising it Bush cited precedents a but not the most controversial of them. That was president Gerald Ford s watergate Pardon of Richard Nixon in 1974, Ford appeared voluntarily before a House committee to defend it that fail. That a a precedent Bush is not Likely to pursue although Levin said he would be offered an Opportunity to testify if he wants. C the associated rest the opinion sex pitted in the columns end cart Toni on Ftfe Peg represent those Al the authors end Ere i no lobe considered representing the View Al the is re end stripes or the United St Sass government