[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 132 (Tuesday, September 20, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: September 20, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                           ON HAITI INVASION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Minnesota [Mr. Grams] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GRAMS. Mr. Speaker, the images televised live yesterday morning 
from the International Airport in Port au Prince, Haiti were dramatic 
indeed: Dozens of heavily armed Army helicopters landing and unloading 
hundreds of young American troops. The soldiers, not knowing if unseen 
snipers were lying in wait, crawled carefully across the tarmac and 
secured the nearby airport facilities.
  With hearts pounding and sweat dripping, young Americans risked their 
lives yesterday, and for how much longer we don't know, to restore 
ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to power. And through the 
latter part of the day, where was their commander in chief? Playing 
golf, yes, President Clinton, the Commander in Chief of the U.S. Armed 
Forces was playing golf.
  What's wrong with this picture? By the standards of the American 
people, everything. By the standards of the President and his 
administration, nothing.
  Three reasons stand out in my mind as to why we shouldn't be in 
Haiti. First, and most importantly, returning Aristide to power isn't 
worth risking one American life. Aristide has a disgraceful human 
rights record of his own and though elected by popular vote, his brand 
of democracy is a far cry from the freedoms we cherish in the United 
States. He ruled as a dictator.
  Second, President Clinton has ignored the will of the American 
people, shunned this Congress, and instead turned to the United Nations 
for validation of his on-again off-again foreign policy. Ceding power 
to a governing body that in no way answers to the American people is a 
dangerous precedent. Ultimately, it is an abdication of responsibility 
that we as a nation must not tolerate.
  And, third, where's the plan? Where's the strategy. Now that we're in 
Haiti, what's our mission, and when are we coming back? The American 
people remember our failed mission in Somalia and fear that a haphazard 
invasion of Haiti could yield the same deadly results.
  Until he was deposed, Aristide had nothing but contempt for America. 
In a 1990 Haiti radio interview regarding United States calls for 
elections, Aristide stated:

       [The Americans] want to hold our guts * * * in their hands. 
     Thus, we will be economically [and] politically dependent. 
     For our part, we reject this.

  Aristide, you may remember, also had a penchant for ``necklacing'' 
his political opponents. Necklacing is a horrific means of execution 
whereby auto tires filled with gasoline are placed around the necks of 
the victims and set afire. Not exactly the Boy Scout that the President 
made him out to be.
  President Bush's leadership during the Persian Gulf war suggests that 
turning to the United Nations to validate a war or intervention is a 
legitimate and necessary step. However, while gaining the support of 
the United Nations and coalition forces was important, President Bush 
received the moral imperative to engage in war through the unified and 
vocal support of Congress and the American people.
  President Clinton has set a dangerous precedent by relying on the 
United Nations' stamp of approval before committing U.S. forces to 
hostile situations. The President owes it to our troops to unite the 
American people behind them before putting our young men and women in 
harm's way. This strengthens the morale and resolve of our troops to 
know that the American people are behind them.
  Finally, President Clinton has failed to define a coherent foreign 
policy, in Haiti and elsewhere. Based on the rationalizations employed 
by this President in his invasion of Haiti a similar invasion of Cuba, 
Rwanda, and maybe a reprise of the debacle in Somalia, would also be 
called for.
  Thank God there were no shots fired yesterday and no casualties, but 
the Haitian situation is volatile and we can- not let our guard down as 
we did in Somalia. Unless we have a clearly defined mission and exit 
strategy in Haiti, which we do not, we are doomed to repeat those 
mistakes. For the sake of the mothers and fathers of our young 
soldiers, Haiti cannot be a recurrence of another Somalia.
  By an overwhelming majority, the American people, Members of 
Congress, and foreign policy experts do not support an invasion of 
Haiti. However, with our troops now committed, we must give them our 
unqualified support. And pray for their early, safe return.
  Congratulations are in order to President Carter for helping to avert 
an initial armed conflict. However, having a former President at the 
foreign policy helm is damaging to President Clinton's already weak 
reputation among our allies and foes alike, and damaging to the long-
term credibility of the United States.
  Yesterday afternoon this Congress voted to commend the President for 
his actions in Haiti, and voice support for the troops. I voted against 
that measure. I certainly support our troops; however, I cannot commend 
the President for his use of them. If this is a success, then we don't 
expect very much. Haiti is a political exercise, not a coherent policy.
  Imagine that, less than 24 hours into an intervention that most 
Americans and Congress are against, this body congratulated President 
Clinton. That vote was a PR stunt thrust upon us by the Democrat 
leadership in an attempt to make the White House look good but is an 
affront to the thousands of American troops in Haiti already who face 
unseen dangers at every turn. This invasion is far from over, and while 
I pray for the safety of our dedicated troops, I patiently wait for a 
foreign policy I can support.
  From this point forward we must hold Presidents Clinton and Aristide 
accountable to the agreement President Carter reached. We must continue 
to impress upon our President that he must issue a coherent Haitian 
policy direction if he is to gain the lasting support of the people and 
Congress. We must impress upon President Aristide that he shall be held 
to the very high standards expected of a democratically elected leader. 
With America's credibility, with America's reputation, and now with 
American lives all on the line, only the highest expectations should 
apply.

                          ____________________