European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 23, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday september 23, 1994 i commentary 1 1 a a a a the stars and stripes Page 13 to Case to . . Rosenthal for president Clinton Haiti has been a Victory so far military moral and political. He deserves time to relish it a a Little time. By showing determination to use american Power to help a tortured nation nearby he achieved his goal of getting the generals to agree to step Down a without american forces having to pull one Trig Ger. Without that presidential determination the generals would have perpetuated their Rule by murder. A but one Day soon Clinton should Call in the people he trusts most in and out of government and put it to them straight where did i go wrong Clinton cannot afford again to achieve a Victory the Way he did this one a through a last minute intermediary by trading off other goals and Over the heavy of position of the american people. How did Clinton reach the Point where at the very Brink of War he had to turn his future and Haiti s Over to three men not Only outside his administration but politically outside his control if the Mission had reached an agreement he could not accept the country would probably have supported them not him a danger he knew when he sent them out. As it is the missions role became so critical and american opposition to invasion so Strong that he had to accept decisions that were repugnant to his administration. Only on sept. 15, Clinton told the United states that the generals were responsible for the killings a serial mass murder. Now they Are to be amnesties and allowed to remain in Haiti if they so wish. But can to the three members of the Mission at least Stop calling the killer generals men of Honor the most important question for Clinton to face soon is this _ what does the whole Haiti Story and the decision to invade Tell the president about his own leadership qualities and relations with the american people seventy percent of americans opposed the very concept of invasion to crack the generals. Were they All wrong or As a Leader was he guilty of something almost As bad As being wrong a failing to do his utter Best to explain to a democratic nation Why he was right i think so. I believe the presidents determination to invade As a last resort to get rid of the dictatorship was Correct. This was not global policeman ship but a response to a neighbors screams which is something quite else. And actual size Quot t one prop of american by cd Haiti if moving against a militarily feeble but murderous dictatorship near our shores is not in the National interest substitute White for Black Canada for Haiti and try that out. A. A. A a Quot a but since so Many americans were against the invasion the rest of us should understand the pressures on the president to accept compromises those last hours of negotiation. Still How could the president really have expected much less opposition Given what he did not do he has said it himself americans do not like the idea of War particularly after the end of the soviet danger. They can think of better ways of spending Money. But when a president thinks he might have to Lead his country to War it is simple common sense for him to prepare the people and to get on the Job right away if possible. He owes that to them and himself even if he cannot win them All Over. Somehow this president cannot do that cannot pull mind and Mouth together before crisis is upon us. He kept silent far too Long on North Korea. On Haiti Clin ton sent subordinates to convince americans about the Likely need for War a a presidential Job if Ever there was one. He made his first real speech on Haiti on sept. 15, when . Ships could be seen off Haiti a Shore so late it seemed he did not care what americans thought which of course he did. Now he is coming close to an oct. 15 deadline for lifting the arms embargo on the bosnian muslims while keeping it on the bosnian serbs. If he docs he must Tell us soon not oct. 14, what he will do if Britain and France pull their troops out of Bosnia As they threaten or if the War spreads. How will we then respond what responsibility specifically will we shoulder somewhere one War or peace crisis wih follow another someplace else. Neither Clinton nor his country can afford another huge Gap Between them on How to Deal with it. The president May not always be Able to prevent it but in every crisis he should try often and Early. A c now York times a continues to muddle foreign affairs by Holger Jensen Scripps Howard news service twice now president Clinton has talked himself into a Corner by issuing ultimatums that threaten military action. And twice former president Carter has Given him a face saving Way out. Which raises some questions while Carter was averting a potentially catastrophic invasion of Haiti where was Secretary of state Warren Christopher when Carter was heading off a military confrontation with North Korea three months ago where was Christopher if private citizen Carter is now the Clinton administrations Point Man in crisis prevention Why not fire Christopher and make Carter Secretary of state better yet Why not get rid of the entire state department and hire the Carter Center in Atlanta to conduct foreign policy the Clinton Christopher team certainly made a hash of things. Witness our ignominious Retreat from Somalia our inaction in the face of horrendous War crimes in Bosnia our embarrassment in Haiti last year when a gang of dockside goons cowed Clinton into recalling a shipload of marines before they disembarked. Carter undoubtedly helped Clinton a credibility by saying him from military adventures the president has no stomach for. But that does not rate a Nobel prize a not nearly As much As the historic peace pact signed by israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and Plo Leader Yasser Arafat.  military Force to oust Warren Christopher. In truth the verdict on both of Carters mediation efforts is still out. The first in North Korea was not even requested by the White House. Carter simply injected himself into the dispute Over Pyongyang a nuclear program and met with the late Kim ii Sung in june. First he told Kim that Clinton Wasny to really serious about sanctions then he phoned Clinton to Tell him that Kim had softened his hard line stance. Clinton cancelled a planned military buildup in South Korea and opened talks with the North. They Are of course stalled a Kim died in july the succession is still in doubt and the. North koreans continue to balk at nuclear inspections. But they did stave off sanctions and Carter got credit for averting what might have been a nuclear War. Next came Haiti. This time Clinton facing bipartisan congressional opposition and overwhelming Public opinion against an invasion asked Carter to head an 11th hour Mission to persuade that country a military leaders to step Down. Carter succeeded but Only after paratroops of the 82nd airborne div were already aloft. And he May have been so eager to make a Deal he outstripped his mandate and gave too much away. It. Gen. Raoul Esdras and his military cronies get amnesty for the killings kidnappings rapes and other forms of intimidation used against supporters of ousted president Jean Bertrand Aristide. They done to have to leave Haiti although the supposition is that they will and they regain Access to Bank accounts and other assets Frozen by Washington. Aristide gets a 15,000-Man a police Force to ensure his return to Power. And we Are committed to a Long and costly intervention that goes beyond peacekeeping to nation building. Besides emergency Relief to repair the damage wrought by our embargo american taxpayers will be funding an economic reconstruction program that is expected to last Well into the 21st Century most ironic of All our gis now have to coordinate their activities with the haitian military the very people they were supposed to crush. Holger Jensen is International editor of the Rocky Mountain news in Denver