Political Quotes

“I was in Bosnia 4 years ago as cochair of a House delegation, and there were three clear lessons from that trip. Number one, there is a U.S. national interest in preventing an outbreak of major conflagration in the Balkans. We should not be the world's policeman, true. We also should not be asleep at the switch. Whether we like it or not, the Balkans is an important crossroads. Secondly, Mr. Milosevic is a major roadblock to peace, and understands only firmness, total firmness. Third, the U.S. has a special credibility there. We have a special credibility, and we need to use it to help bring about peace and to help enforce it. The question now is not whether we are going to go to war, but whether we can negotiate a peace. I urge Members on the majority side to listen to their standardbearer of 1996, Robert Dole, who said just yesterday, I would rather have the vote come after the agreement. Mr. Dole, to his credit, knows the importance of bipartisanship in foreign policy. I close with this. This is a particularly sensitive time in the negotiations for peace in Kosovo. This is not the time to take risks in undermining those efforts. Those who insist on a debate at this particular moment should think again, or they bear the responsibility for the possible consequences of their actions.”