William M. ``Mac'' Thornberry: “I believe that U.S. troops should come home from Bosnia as soon as possible, but I must vote against this resolution. I…”

“I believe that U.S. troops should come home from Bosnia as soon as possible, but I must vote against this resolution. I have been a skeptic about our role in Bosnia from the beginning. Like many of my colleagues, I have been to Bosnia and witnessed firsthand the remarkable job which our troops are doing there. We should all be very proud of their success and of their morale and of their desire to leave Bosnia better equipped to work out their differences in a peaceful manner. The performance and attitude of our young men and women in a difficult situation should remind us all how fortunate this nation has been and is to have such people willing to fight and die for our country. Yet, I do not believe that vital U.S. national interests are at stake in Bosnia. I believe this deployment has lasted too long, straining the ability of our short-changed military to cover other essential bases. Last year, I cosponsored H.R. 1172, preventing the use of funds to keep troops in Bosnia after a date certain. Furthermore, I voted for amendments that would have cut off funding on December 31, 1997, and June 30, 1998. I believe we should end our deployment in Bosnia and turn it over to those who do have a vital stake in the outcome, the Europeans. But, despite my strong desire to end our deployment in Bosnia, I cannot vote for this resolution.”