Bob Wise: “today as the hell of Bosnia once again forces our country to evaluate the consequences of military action, I was…”

“today as the hell of Bosnia once again forces our country to evaluate the consequences of military action, I was appalled to see former President George Bush state, in a grab for applause lines in his remarks: The United States can't wait for somebody else to decide what we have to do. If I had sat around and waited before Desert Storm for the Congress to come along, Saddam Hussein would be in Riyadh today. I urge former President Bush to use the fact check in his computer before writing his memoirs. The fact is that checking with the Congress and the American people is something we call democracy. The fact is that before Desert Storm, President Bush did not send our children to the Persian Gulf without consulting Congress and, in fact, that was one of the high points of the Congress, that debate on Desert Storm. It was not his decision. It was the Nation's decision. The fact is that Bosnian tragedy has been on President Bush's watch as long as it was on President Clinton's watch, and indeed one of the tragedies is that President Bush did not seek to engage the American people in a discussion of Bosnia. So I would suggest that former President Bush think more carefully before criticizing President Clinton for fulfilling his most sacred trust of all, and that is involving the people and their representatives in the very crucial decisions of military engagement.”