THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 15, 1994 TAG: 9409150469
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: KNIGHT-RIDDER NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines
Congress is clearly discomforted by President Clinton's expected decision to invade Haiti but is not likely to take any early action to block him.
With practically every member expecting the invasion to be launched within days, critics pushed for early congressional votes of disapproval in an effort to dissuade Clinton.
Both the White House and its congressional allies feared that such votes - even if non-binding - would make it appear that Clinton was acting in defiance of Congress - and perhaps even violating a constitutional provision that gives Congress exclusive power to declare war.
Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, D-Maine, used procedural rules to derail a late-hour bid by Republicans to force an embarrassing vote next Wednesday on the prospective invasion. Speaker Thomas Foley, D-Wash., fended off efforts to force a vote in the House. The leaders used the opportunity presented by the Jewish Yom Kippur observance to call off any Haiti votes this week and put Congress in recess until next week.
There is little doubt that Congress will vote against Clinton if the invasion has not been launched by then.
If an immediate confrontation was avoided, the congressional agony over Clinton's likely course was clear.
``For both constitutional and political reasons,'' said Sen. William Cohen, R-Maine, who opposes an invasion, ``the president should seek Congress' counsel before invading Haiti . . . Congress has a constitutional role to play in any act of war, and politically, if anything goes wrong with the invasion, the president wouldn't be standing out there all alone.''
``We would like to see democracy spread through many places,'' said Sen. John W. Warner, R-Va. ``But that alone is not sufficient justification'' for risking American troops. To warrant an invasion, the administration must be able to show that vital American interests are at stake in Haiti, he said, and ``thus far they have not succeeded.''
Warner recalled the killings of 16 Army Rangers in a two-day battle in Somalia last October, suggesting that American involvement began there with good intentions but soured because there was no clear military objective.
He urged Clinton to follow former President George Bush's example during the Persian Gulf war of 1991 and seek formal congressional approval before launching an invasion.
Earlier Wednesday, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Lee Hamilton, D-Ind., showed the pain that Democrats are going through in trying to support Clinton while upholding Congress' role in sharing responsibility for military ventures.
Admitting he was ``a most reluctant intervener'' in Haiti, Hamilton said the United States simply had to follow through on its threat to invade or be seen around the world as a paper tiger.
``How can you conduct an effective foreign policy if your word is not good?'' Hamilton said.
At the same time, he urged Clinton to involve Congress more closely and broadly in his Haiti policy.
``The decision to commit forces to combat is a decision the president and Congress should share because it is the gravest decision that a government makes,'' Hamilton said. MEMO: Staff writer Dale Eisman contributed to this report.
KEYWORDS: HAITI by CNB