European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 12, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                V saturday february 12, 1994 commentary the stars and stripes Page 13 . Hand wringers had their Day in Bosnia William Safire whenever the West pretended to be ready to bomb the serbian artillery shelling Sarajevo the serbs would pre tend to agree to Stop the Slaughter. Thence did t bomb and they did t Stop. This time had better be different. Pub Lic opinion is finally beginning to put political heat on feckless leaders. The revulsion at spineless Ness in Europe and leaderless Ness in America caused an unannounced Deal to be Cut Between France which has the most troops in Bosnia and the United states which if not acting like a superpower can at least be a us per broker. France undertook to get the brits canadians and greeks to go along with Token nato air strikes if the serbs failed to pull Back their Artil Lery the . Agreed to encourage bosnian muslims to accept modification of the humiliating Deal offered by the serbs and croats. A troubling aspect of this Clinton policy is his Choice of envoy to our allies under Secretary of state Peter Tarnoff architect of the notorious Tarnoff doctrine Ameri Ca is too poor to get involved. Is the Western threat to bomb serbian artillery and mortars still a pretence apparently not a White House aide says that any artillery piece spotted within a specified distance from Sarajevo next week will be targeted and any Long Range piece outside that line that fires at the City will also be blasted. But what will happen worry the hand wringers if the serbs double Cross us again and do not Back off what if they respond to coercion by attacking the peacekeeping troops won t we be drawn into a quagmire that was the question that paralysed Western action for two Long years. We listened to the hand wringers and it Cost 200,000 lives. Nato dallied until its credibility was shattered and the Alliance was brought to the Brink of disintegration. Dithering has had its bloody Day now give intervention a Chance. The step after next should be nose shame smoke we rent Cret if the serbs retaliate harsh Escala Tion must follow. If the troops under . Command cannot defend them selves As a fighting Force they should be withdrawn turning Over their equipment to the bosnian. No hostages. We would take out aggressor Bridges Supply depots port facilities if countrywide tactical air support does not help bosnian forces turn the tide smart bombs will find unmanned targets and out will go the lights in Belgrade. Peace in the Balkans will come not when the muslims agree to be Good Vic Tims nor when christians and muslims get tired of killing each other in Clin ton s callous phrase but when a Good of european balance of Power is achieved. Today s War causing imbalance can be shifted by air Power in close support of bosnian forces no longer hindered by an arms embargo and with the political effect of economic privation visited on those in Serbia calling the shots in Bosnia. But this extended escalation need not take place. As soon As nato s will to use its Power is exhibited dramatically or As soon As serbian commanders begin hearing anguished demands from their real Headquarters the peace table will become the scene of great Progress. And the primary peacekeepers must be Tripar Tite teams of the former enemies. As our end of the French american Deal to demonstrate nato Backbone a Clinton adviser tells me the United states is prepared to work diplomatically with the bosnian As we have not before. If that Means we will find out their Bottom line and help them formulate proposals for equitable partition and a viable nation Fine. But if encouragement Means America leans on them to abandon sovereignty in their capital or give up corridor connection of their enclaves and Access loathe sea that would be a betrayal. Pictures can energize diplomats. Almost As stunning As the images of death in the marketplace was last week s photo of the visit to Sarajevo of Pakistan s prime min ister Binazir Bhutto marching alongside Turkey s prime minister Tansu filler. These were not merely two women showing humanitarian concern. These were two elected leaders of Large powerful Muslim countries telling Christendom that their co religionists in bos Nia would not be humiliated and annihilated without serious global consequences. That helped the message get through intervention now or disaster later. C th6 now York times. _. Balanced budget amendment cuts off escape the government is not destined to become svelte but the budget the president submitted this week the first real democratic budget in 13 years which is half a generation illustrates a Paradox that gives cold Comfort to conservatives the largest achievement of modern liberalism the welfare state is now the largest impediment to the Liberal aspiration for energetic government. Candidate Clinton vowed that an end of gridlock be tween Congress and the executive Branch would enable democrats to reverse  however he is locked on a course that cannot deeply distress Reagan. The course was partly set by Clinton s budget Victory in Congress last summer. Then it was said that if Clinton could not pass his Bud get his presidency would be irremediable crippled. He won but the Price Congress made him pay in spending Caps and pay As you go rules restricts his presidency to making minor adjustments at the margins of government. Automated spending on entitlements devours half the budget. Add interest payments which Are not optional and Only about one third of the budget remains for discretionary spending including defense. For the first time in a generation for the first time since wartime 1969 discretionary spending is slated to decline in real inflation adjusted dollars primarily because of defense cuts. And the discretionary sphere is More theoretical than actual. The government like Gulliver among the lilliputian is bound Down by thousands of threads the intense interest groups rallying round their programs. This is not a momentary astringency it is a taste of the future. The elderly Are the disproportionate beneficiaries of entitlement spending pensions and medical care and in two years the first of the 76 million baby Boomers turn 50. Congress is More conservative than the administration a fact that devalues for liberals the prize of presidential elections. Consider what happened last november. Two congressmen Timothy j. Penny d-minn., and John r. Kasich a Ohio forced Clinton to fight Fier cely to defeat 219-213, their proposal for an additional $90 billion of cuts Over five years. The administration says its new budget does about 70 percent of what Penny Kasich would have done. On wednesday Sens. Robert j. Kerrey d-neb., and Hank Brown r-colo., introduced legislation to do the rest. And soon there will be a sen ate vote on the constitutional amendment to require a balanced budget. Supporters say they Are close to the 67 votes necessary to Send it to the House which almost certainly would Send it to the states for decision. However it is opposed by sen. Rob Ert c. Byrd d-w.va., whose chairmanship of the appropriations committee gives him a persuasive Arsenal of pains and pleasures. The fact that the deficit is declining May have made the amendment seem less urgent but More feasible. When the deficit was much larger critics of the Amend ment said balancing the budget would require spending cuts and tax increases on a scale that would be economically reckless and politically lethal. Now the politically popular amendment looks like a manageable Extension of the partial spending Caps and pay As you go rules George f. Will Congress has adopted. If the amendment passes in today s climate of tax phobia which shows no sign of abating pressure for More spending cuts will be constitutional Zed. If it fails to pass that May cause Congress to seek political Protection by making additional cuts in Clinton s budget or by supporting the cuts he recommends but not the spending increases he wants his proposed cuts to finance. Sen. Paul Simon d-i11., the prime mover of the amendment in the Senate portrays the amendment As a stimulant of heroism of sorts. He says the reason there were so Many heroes at the Alamo is that the Alamo had no Back door. Suppose Congress passes and 38 states ratify the amendment thereby boarding up the Back door eliminating deficits As Means of escaping difficult choices. If that happens now when the Middle class that has most of the nation s Money has no intention of paying More taxes the government will Over time become merely a giant Transfer payment pump a Gray source of stipends from familiar entitlement programs for an aging population and especially for the population bulge that includes Bill Clinton who was born in 1946, year one of the baby Boom. The Federal government that Clinton and like minded liberals see As an agent of change May be very soon a device defined by inertia entitlements interest payments defense and not much else. If so Clinton the first Liberal president since Lyndon b. Johnson might still be in office but he would be presi Ding Over a government that Ronald Reagan could abide. C the Washington Post