Sam Gibbons: “there are those who would say that involvement by Congress or private citizens in U.S. foreign diplomacy in the Balkans…”

“there are those who would say that involvement by Congress or private citizens in U.S. foreign diplomacy in the Balkans is not necessary and we can only complicate matters. Fortunately, Mr. Speaker, we do not have to look very far to see these naysayers could not be farther from the truth. They could not be farther out of touch with America's wishes for peace and the quick and safe return of our military men and women. We need only to look at the Reverend Jesse Jackson and his very successful campaign to free our U.S. POWs, and we need only to look no farther than this House, where numerous delegations, bipartisan delegations, have traveled great distances to observe firsthand U.S. military involvement in the dire refugee situation in the Kosovo region. I commend and salute my colleagues, both Republican and Democrat, and the leadership of both parties for supporting our effort to build a better understanding and working relationship with our counterparts in the Russian Duma. This information gathered by these bipartisan delegations provides all of us with a clear picture on how we can better do our job representing the American people on global issues.”