We Must Take Unilateral Action

[Sprayber]

Or So Dean said about Serbia



Politics is so very funny.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/01/14/elec04.prez.dean.bosnia/index.html

But in 1995, Dean urged President Clinton to use American warplanes to support the embattled Bosnian Muslim government during that country's three-year civil war, according to a letter published Wednesday in USA Today.

Campaign spokesman Jay Carson said Wednesday that Dean opposed the Iraq war "because it was the wrong war at the wrong time, not because he believes military force should never be used."

Carson told CNN that Dean believes the United States should "always strive to act multilaterally."

In 1995, he told Clinton that it was "no longer possible" to act in conjunction with the NATO allies or the United Nations, and "I have reluctantly concluded that we must take unilateral action."

The civil war among Bosnia's Muslim, Croat and Serb populations was Europe's bloodiest conflict since the end of World War II, and Dean said the United States risked its moral credibility if it did not take action there.

Eventually, NATO did launch airstrikes against Serb forces besieging the capital, Sarajevo, and a U.S.-brokered peace treaty was signed later that year.

[The Emperor Fabulous]

Poor ideological Dean. Why would the US ever step out of its way to help a Muslim country?

[Sprayber]

He called Clark a republican Guess the chances of a Dean Clark or a Clark Dean ticket is getting dim

[Ned]

To be sure, Dean's position is that unitlateral action is necessary only if the war is otherwise justified and the UN or Nato refuses to act.

[Mr. President]

Dean is a *$^*%& idiot. When I say that I'm thinking mainly about his economic "ideas".

[Sprayber]

IIRC Bush approved of the actions against Serbia as well against the prevailing opinion of most conservatives.

[Ned]

Originally posted by Sprayber
IIRC Bush approved of the actions against Serbia as well against the prevailing opinion of most conservatives.

Possibly. However, Bush campaigned on the philosophy that interventions were not a good idea -- referencing Kosovo, IIRC.

It looks like Dean's and Bush's positions have flipped.

[Sprayber]

Originally posted by Ned


Possibly. However, Bush campaigned on the philosophy that interventions were not a good idea -- referencing Kosovo, IIRC.

It looks like Dean's and Bush's positions have flipped.

I know what he campaigned on but CNN showed an interview where he said he supported what was done there.

[Sprayber]

Like MTG said in another thread, no one campaigns supporting going to war or taking action. It's easy to critize something your opponant or predessor has done but when your in charge things begins to look different.

[monkspider]

We must take unilateral action to prevent shortages of carbonated beverages in our nation's supermarkets.

[Sprayber]

Originally posted by monkspider
We must take unilateral action to prevent shortages of carbonated beverages in our nation's supermarkets.

Drink iced tea.

[monkspider]

Originally posted by Sprayber



Drink iced tea.

Good advice.

[rah]

You know things are bad for Dean when a poll done by the chicago tribune shows that he would lose Illinois to Bush if the election was tomorrow. Illinois going republican in a presidential election is not normal these days.

[GePap]

Dean has been getting immensely negative press for about a month- I don;t see any other cadidate having every single thing they said scrutanized as completely-none of the other dems, certainly not Bush. NO wonder his numbers are down.

As for the comment-

Notice how he state we should strive to be unilateral- strive does not mean all the time, it means we should make it the regular tool- in 1995 he felt that was no longer an option (remembering the war begun in '91, and was a hot topic all of 93 and 94) after years of deliberating action. Compare that with Iraq and Bush's drive for multilateralism (all 4 months of it...).

Of course, that annalysis does not fit into a coy soundbite, so it will fall by the wayside.

[Ned]

GePap, I think Dean meant unilateral in that they US should act alone if justice required taking action. I don't think Bush has ever gone that far. I am sure that he would have backed off if he lost Britains supports. I read Dean's position is that we needed to act even if we were alone.