[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 188 (Tuesday, November 28, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H13667]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             THE PRESIDENT HAS NOT MADE THE CASE IN BOSNIA

  (Mr. HEFLEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. HEFLEY. Mr. Speaker, last night the President came to the 
American people to convince us it is a good idea to send ground troops 
to Bosnia. He says he will come to Congress. Both of these things are 
the things he should be doing. We have been asking him to do it.
  I sat there in front of my television half wanting to be convinced, 
because you do not want to embarrass the President, you want him to be 
right, you want him to represent the country in the right way. What I 
found with his speech was a great deal of emotion. He talked about 
rapes and concentration camps and mass executions, all things that we 
would like to stop if we possibly could, but he was short on substance.
  He talked about vital American interests but he does not tell us what 
that was. He talked about American leadership and he seemed to be 
saying that the only way we can have American leadership is if we pay 
the bill, if we pay the price with our blood and with our money. I 
found myself wondering, I wonder if it is so bad if in some cases if 
someone else takes the leadership. Do we have to lead in everything? Is 
this not a European problem? Could we not rely on Europe to take the 
leadership in this?
  I wonder how the President is going to respond to the families who 
lose children in this conflict, and they will lose some. Is he going to 
say, ``Your son died for the future of NATO?'' Is he going to say, 
``Your son died because we might stop World War III?'' Is he going to 
say, ``Your son died for American leadership?'' I do not think he has 
made the case.

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