[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 91 (Thursday, July 14, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: July 14, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                       POSSIBLE INVASION OF HAITI

  (Mr. GILLMOR asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GILLMOR. Mr. Speaker, President Clinton is considering a military 
invasion of Haiti. That would be a mistake and the answer to that idea 
should be just plain no. There is no doubt that the current 
dictatorship of Haiti. That would be a mistake and the answer to that 
idea should be just plain no. There is no doubt that the current 
dictatorship of Haiti is a brutal dictatorship, but there are brutal 
dictatorships all around the world. Are we supposed to invade every one 
of them? The answer is clearly no. We cannot be the world's policeman 
in every instance.
  American lives should be put in harm's way only if there is a clear 
national interest in doing so and that is not the case with Haiti. 
Apparently, the reason for this invasion would be to restore to power 
the person who held power briefly before. When he did, his regime 
committed human rights abuses similar to the current dictatorship. If 
we restore him to power by military force and he does it again, does 
that make the United States an accomplice to these human rights abuses?
  If we want to keep him in power and try to prevent the abuses, how 
many years will our troops have to stay there and how many American 
lives will be lost.
  Bill Clinton's foreign policy has been a continual series of 
embarrassments and disasters for the United States. This 
administration's foreign policy is like a foreign policy conducted by 
Abbott and Costello. We do not need to make another mistake by invading 
Haiti.

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