Charles Skelton: “we have a very interesting and telling decision before us, the three choices that may be made in all of this Bosnia…”

“we have a very interesting and telling decision before us, the three choices that may be made in all of this Bosnia business today. The first is to adopt an amendment, which I oppose, to take our troops out by the end of December of this year. That would be wrong. No. 1, that is rushing to judgment. No. 2, that would be in violation of what our President has openly stated. The other is to leave the commitment open. To do so raises the issue as to whether our European allies will be ready, will take up of gauntlet and perform the duties we have been urging them and wanting them to do and take care of the European problems themselves now that we have shown them the way and given them the leadership. The other problem with the open-ended commitment is the operational tempo of our young troops, and I am immensely, immensely proud of them. But with the downsizing that we have already had of particularly the U.S. Army, the young soldiers will be meeting themselves going and coming. The middle ground, I believe, is to accept the word of our President and to adopt the date that he suggested.”