GINGRICH'S PROPOSAL TO BOMB BOSNIA IS SIMPLY A BAD IDEA

By Charles Krauthammer

Published: Sunday, Dec. 11 1994 12:00 a.m. MST

Summary

Now Newt Gingrich has lost his head over Bosnia, too. Not content to let Bob Dole lead the charge of the light brigade into Balkan oblivion, Gingrich has turned hawk. He once took the hands-off view that Bosnia is a European problem. Now he not only sees it as an American problem but he has a three-point program to solve it.
Step 1: Get the U.N. protection forces out of Bosnia. A nice idea that will then allow us to wage war with great gusto, relieved of the worry of hitting U.N. soldier-hostages.

Furthermore, regarding Central America in the '80s, the Democrats were simply trying to block an activist White House. The Republicans are more ambitious. They are trying to foist an activist Balkan policy on a passive administration.

That is far more tricky and far more dangerous because, in the end, it is the executive that has to carry out the policy. Do we want a war policy run by an administration that is both unwilling and incompetent to undertake it? Do we really want Bill Clinton, George Stephanopoulos and James Carville running a Balkan war, with NATO, Russia and the fate of southern Europe in the balance?

Finally, apart from all else, this is bad politics. This whole venture into foreign policy is a huge, needless distraction for the Republicans. They were not elected on Nov. 8 to save Bosnia, which is beyond saving. They were elected to fix America, which is, as yet, not beyond fixing.

Their mandate to govern was won on a domestic agenda. There is a window now open for the Republicans to enact it. To squander that opportunity on foreign adventures - and on an adventure that promises the country nothing but grief - is simply crazy.

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