USA Today: Howard Dean letter to President Clinton

[GRClarkesq]

Below is the text of Howard Dean's letter to President Clinton on the conflict in Bosnia, dated July 19, 1995.
The Honorable William J. Clinton

President of the United States

The White House

Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

After long and careful thought, and after several years of watching the gross atrocities committed by the Bosnian Serbs, I have reluctantly concluded that the efforts of the United Nations and NATO in Bosnia are a complete failure.

I think your policy up to this date has been absolutely correct. We must give, and have given, this policy with our allies and with the United Nations every opportunity to work. It is evident, however, that the cost in human lives in allowing this policy to continue is too great. In addition, and perhaps more importantly for the United States, we are now in a position of ignoring, as many did in the 1940s, one of the worst crimes committed in history. If we ignore these behaviors, no matter where they occur, our moral fiber as a people becomes weakened. As the Catholic Church and others lost credibility during the Holocaust for not speaking out, so will the United States lose credibility and our people lose confidence in themselves as moral beings if the United States does not take action.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/2004-01-14-dean-letter_x.htm

[maddezmom]

1. dupe

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=115080&mesg_id=115080

[xultar]

3. tee hee hee....n/t

[robbedvoter]

2. Awww! You skipped the best part: negotiation bad, go alone good

"Since it is clearly no longer possible to take action in conjunction with NATO and the United Nations, I have reluctantly concluded that we must take unilateral action"

Aren't you glad that Clinton and then Clark were in charge of that little thingy?

[farmbo]

4. Duh!?...Unilateral action to PREVENT a bloodbath...not cause one!

Where will the media stop in its unflinching effort to re-shape Howard Dean into a Rovian caricature?

[Larkspur]

5. Actually, this letter in shows that Dean has a strong moral fiber

in regards to how power, especially military power, is to be used. I can see where Jimmy Carter's moral philosophy influences Dean's.

This letter makes me more proud to be a Dean-ocrat. Dean has always said on the campaign trail when talking about sending our troops into harms way that one of the reasons would be to stop humanitarian bloodbaths, like the one that happened in Bosnia.

This letter shows that Dean has been consistant on his moral use of power even before he planned on running for President. Unlike Iraq, Bosnia was a bloodbath that even our allies agreed to needed to be addressed.

[Moderator]

6. Dupe

Please continue here;

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=115080&mesg_id=115080

Thanks