Former White House spinmeister Dick Morris has written an interesting column entitled, "Don't Let Liberals Start a War." He says, "Three times in this century--in World War I, Korea, and Vietnam--liberal presidents have gotten us into wars that sapped our national spirit, eroded our idealism and left our nation introverted, isolationist, and self-absorbed. Now the pattern may repeat itself if President Clinton approves the use of ground combat troops in Kosovo."
Of course that latter comment may be up for some interpretation. The president hasn't yet approved of using ground troops, but Dick Morris expects that to be merely a technicality since the president has already dispatched Apache attack helicopters to Albania for possible use in Kosovo. Since these are used to dispatch troops, Morris contends that the president has already made the decision to use ground forces.
In looking back at history, Dick Morris points out that the three wars (World War I, Korea, and Vietnam) came at periods of prosperity and national self assurance. But the idealism forged by those periods came crashing against a foreign foe (German, North Korea, and North Vietnam). This time, he says, the liberals have been pushing President Clinton to war. Back in 1995, Clinton told him, "The liberals and the media are trying to get me into a war in Bosnia. They have their reporters there, they run scenes of slaughter and rape every night on TV. They are all internationalists who want to start a war." Although he resisted the temptation in 1995, it appears he capitulated in 1999.
Dick Morris' comparison of Kosovo to the other three wars is chilling. More than 100,000 Americans died in World War I and over 50,000 died in both Korea and Vietnam. Those wars destroyed the Wilson, Truman, and Johnson presidencies and affected America for decades following. We don't need a similar war in Kosovo.
I'm Kerby Anderson of Probe Ministries, and that's my opinion.