St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 23

5DEC171! AS ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH NEWS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1998 www, postnet.com The Attack on Iraq Missouri Democrats, many Republicans back military action A strong proponent of impeachment, Talent said Clinton's motives" should not be questioned now. "I really believe that during the pendency of this action we should act on the assumption that this is' being done for the right reason," he said. Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond, could not be reached for com ment.

Dan Hubbard, a spokesman" for Bond, said: "Like most Americans, Senator Bond doesn't knowi many of the specific details about' the decision to begin the bombing today. However, Senator Bond believes that decisive action should have been taken months ago and that the timing of the bombing raises real questions." i By Tim Poor Post-Dispatch Washington Bureau WASHINGTON Congressional Democrats from Missouri were quick to support American air-strikes against Iraq on Wednesday and denounced the attacks by some Republican leaders on President Bill Clinton's timing. Many Republicans joined in support of the military action, though some believed the administration should have acted sooner. We fully support the president's decision," said House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt, D-St. Louis County, in a joint statement with Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, after Saddam promised to cooperate with inspections.

"That was giving him one last chance," Skelton said. Skelton dismissed statements by some Republican leaders that the strikes were tied to impending impeachment proceedings. "That's nonsense," Skelton said. He said chief U.N. weapons inspector Richard Butler reported Iraq's violation of the agreement Tuesday night, and the Islamic holiday Ramadan is this weekend.

"I don't know what else the president could do," he said. "It had to happen right away. "I just hope it is a thorough attack," Skelton added. "The pinprick type of attacks don't bother Saddam Hussein." He said the Pentagon briefing led him to believe that it was a substantial attack aimed at debilitating both Saddam's military force and chemical-weapon capability. Skelton has not said how he will vote on impeachment.

He had said he planned to announce his vote Wednesday, but he postponed the announcement in the wake of the attacks. He agreed the House im-, peachment debate needed to be postponed. "I don't think it's a good idea to be debating the impeachment of a commander in chief in the middle of a crisis," he said. Rep. Kenny Hulshof, R-Colum-bia, agreed.

"Our vital national se Alleged bombing victim gets care at Baghdad hospital 'It's a sad day for the UJV. leader says 'iJ sr "Any delay would have given Saddam Hussein time to reconstitute his arsenal of weapons of mass destruction and undermine international support for our efforts," they said. "This is no surprise to anyone who is involved in foreign policy issues in Congress. We believe the president acted correctly and responsibly by taking quick and decisive action against Saddam Hussein's egregious behavior." Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Lexington, was briefed at the Pentagon on Wednesday morning.

I fully support it," said Skelton, a senior Democrat on the House National Security Committee. He cited the recent similar crisis in which Clinton called off a strike warned Iraq at the time that if it did not fully cooperate there might not be another chance for diplomacy. Over the past month, inspectors tested Iraq's pledge and Butler's report delivered to Annan late Tuesday set the stage for Wednesday's attacks. Russia's deputy U.N. ambassador, Yuriy Fedotov, said Butler's report "paved the way for the bombing." Lavrov had a one-word reaction to the airstrikes: "negative." The Security Council met for 90 minutes Wednesday morning to discuss the weapons inspectors' report and Butler's decision to evacuate all inspectors and staff which jmui.1 t.w angered China, Russia and France because the permanent council was not consulted.

The council met for about an hour Wednesday afternoon before reports of an at tack began circulating and the meeting broke up. China's U.N. Ambassador Qin Huasen was visibly angry when he emerged from the meeting. "There is absolutely no excuse or pretext to use force against Iraq," he said. "The use of force not only has serious consequences for the implementation of Security Council resolutions but also poses a threat to international as well as regional stability." China, Russia comdemn use of force against Iraq The Associated press UNITED NATIONS Calling the bombing of Iraq "a sad day for the world," Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Wednesday that he had done everything in his power to seek peace and that he deeply regretted being unable to avert the use of force.

As a divided Security Council met for a third time to discuss a U.N. report crit ical of Baghdad that triggered the airstrikes, China and Russia condemned the U.S. and British attacks. Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov This is a relevance to Council sure there wiU Russia' U.N. Ambassador situation of dire the Security mandate.

I'm be some Sergey Lavrov A WM curity interests would take precedence over this debate," said Hulshof, who announced his support for impeachment Wednesday. Rep. Jim Talent, R-Chesterfield, said he favored the bombing. "I think the real important thing is to make clear we're all behind the servicemen and women and to do all we can to make certain Saddam Hussein does not develop weapons for mass destruction." Talent, a member of the House National Security Committee, said the airstrikes were "about the only tool we have at our disposal right now." "I wish we'd done it last winter," he said. "But better late than never." v.U deciding to mortally wounded his presidency is said Bert Rockman, a presidential scholar at the University of Pittsburgh.

Stephen Wayne, a government professor at Georgetown University, said he did not see the military strike as a re-creation of "Wag The Dog," a movie in which cynical political aides divert public attention from a presidential sex scandal by inventing a phony foreign crisis. "I really don't see this as a diversionary tactic," Wayne said. "We pretty much signaled Saddam Hussein what we were going to do" if he defied arms inspection by the United Nations again. And Richard Butler, the chief UJV. arms inspector, who is not a Clinton appointee, denounced Saddam's obstinacy and ordered U.N.

inspectors out of Iraq on his own this week, Wayne noted. You're pretty much damned if you do and damned if you don't," Wayne said of Clinton's plight. Even so, some skeptics believe Clinton's impeachment circumstances invite raised eyebrows over this latest Iraqi showdown. "Obviously his loss of credibility over the last year comes into play here," said Ed Goeas, a Republican pollster for the Tarrance Group. "What also comes into play is the on-again, off-again showdowns with Saddam.

It certainly seems like you could make a case that every time Bill Clinton gets into trouble, the Iraqi people better start ducking." Joe Lockhart, the White House that to date, Clinton has remained extraordinarily popular all work in Gore's favor," said Joel K. Goldstein, a St. Louis University law professor who studies the presidency and vice presidency. But, Goldstein said, "If people turn on Clinton, they may say Gore is defending something we think is indefensible, and they may hold that against him." Even then, however, it is unlikely that Gore's loyalty to Clinton would I THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Iraqi nurses tend to a patient early today in a Baghdad hospital. Iraqi officials said the man was one of many Iraqis injured in U.S.

airstrikes ordered' Wednesday by President Bill Clinton. At least one of hundreds of missiles that rained down on Iraq fell near President Saddam Hussein's largest palace, officials said. Clinton faced political KViV bomb Iraq press secretary, sternly rejected; such suspicions during his routine-' briefing earlier Wednesday. I "The president of the United States makes national security decisions based on the recommenda- tions of his national security advis ers and on the best interests of the people of the United States," Lock- hart said. Despite skeptics, experts on public opinion say the American people are likely to accept Clinton's decision on Iraq.

"There are always going to be critics. The question is the degree to which a distinction that people have made in the past re-' mains valid now whether they can separate his (Clinton's) person- al problems from his capacity to' govern," said John Blydenbough, a political opinion analyst at Clark University in Worcester, Mass. "Part of the reason why the pub-' lie has not responded the way Washington insiders thought they (' would to this (Lewinsky) scandal was they made a distinction be-, tween the president as a qualified person to manage his office and his, personal life," Blydenbough "If they continue to do that, there is a possibility the criticism this time (about Iraq) won't be any more than usual." Goeas, the GOP consultant, agreed. "The American people will set aside whatever their political feelings are and support those, forces," Goeas said. V.

displease the core Democratic voU ers and financial donors who are crucial to his yet-to-be-announced campaign for the party's nomination. "People who are going to be with Al Gore are going to be with him and with their president," said Harold I lodes, a political consultant in New Jersey and a Gore backer. "People like an individual to stand by their friend." called the military action a violation of the U.N. charter. "We are going to call for the immediate cessation of this military action to create the conditions to proceed along the political path," he said.

The council scheduled a formal meeting at Russia's request, where all 15 council members are expected to publicly react to the strikes and the report by Richard Butler, the chief U.N. weapons inspector. "This is a situation of dire relevance to the Security Council mandate Russia's U.N. Ambassador Sergey Lavrov said. "I'm sure there will be some condemnation." Annan had helped avert military action twice this year by flying to Baghdad in February and sending a last-minute appeal to the Iraqis in November.

He was at the council meeting Wednesday afternoon when reports of bombing began circulating. He emerged looking grim and made no comment. Several hours later, Annan made a brief statement saying his thoughts were with "the people of Iraq, with the 307 United Nations humanitarian workers who remain in the country, and with all others whose lives are in danger." "This is a sad day for the United Nations, and for the world," he said. "It is also a very sad day for me personally. Throughout this year, I have done everything in my power to ensure peaceful compliance with Security Council resolutions, and so to avert the use of force.

I deeply regret that today these efforts have proved insufficient" He did not say whether the U.S. and British attacks were justified only that "what has happened cannot be reversed." Under threat of U.S. and British airstrikes, Iraq promised on Nov. 14 to cooperate fully with weapons inspectors and allow unfettered access to sites and documents. Annan U.S.

military has maintained force in Persian Gulf The Associated Press WASHINGTON The United States has maintained a solid force in the gulf region, with 24,100 military men and women there. There are 22 Navy ships. Eight of them are carrying Tomahawk cruise missiles that can strike targets in Iraq at long range. In addition, 201 military aircraft are in the area, including 15 heavy B-52 bombers on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia. The Navy is due to have two aircraft carriers in the region by Sunday.

The Enterprise's group is in the gulf now, and the Carl Vinson arrives shortly. House Judiciary Committee. "I think there are those in the White House who understand that," he added pointedly. Even as U.S. missiles were in flight, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, said he could not support Clinton's raid on Iraq "at this time Both the timing and the policy are subject to question." Several Republicans did not wait for the bombs to drop to accuse Clinton of manufacturing the showdown to boost his political standing at the brink of today's House vote on impeachment.

They risked a backlash by breaking with tradition to criticize an American military strike so quickly. Other Republicans gave the commander in chief the benefit of the doubt. "I think he will receive significant support because it's pretty obvious that Saddam Hussein is neither complying or cooperating" with international weapons inspectors, said Sen. John McCain of Arizona, a member of the Armed Services Committee. Even retiring House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a longtime critic of Clinton, said he would support "whatever appropriate steps" Clinton takes against Iraq.

Without mentioning the critics, Clinton said the timing was driven by the need to catch Saddam by surprise and avoid military action during the Muslim holiday of Ramadan, which begins this weekend. dilemma in He said twice that his entire national security team had signed off on the decision. Defense Secretary William Cohen, a former Republican senator from Maine, said he was "prepared to put 30 years of public service on the line" to defend the attack. Democrats were outraged that Clinton's motives were being questioned. Sen.

Robert Torricelli, said lawmakers who raise doubts about Clinton's motivation were inviting further defiance by Saddam. He called their remarks "as close to a betrayal of the interests of the United States as I've ever witnessed in the United States Congress. It's unforgivable and reprehensible." One measure of the political difficulties Clinton faced was that he left it to British Prime Minister Anthony Blair to make the first formal announcement of the Iraq strike. While Blair explained why the attack was needed, Republican lawmakers questioned Clinton's motives. "I think the president is shameless in what he would do to stay in office," said Rep.

Tillie Fowler, R-Fla. Fowler supports action against Iraq but is suspicious about Clinton's timing, an aide stressed. Clinton cannot win either way amid such mistrust, independent experts said. "If he does bomb, he's doing it for politically expedient reasons. If he doesn't, it's an indication of how to doing anything that can be of help and assistance to the president," said Chris Leflane, Gore's spokesman.

The scandal puts Gore in a delicate position politically. Yet, if he handles it well, being the No. 2 man to a damaged president even an impeached president might not be so disastrous as it sounds for the early Democratic front-runner. "The fact that this scandal is totally unrelated to Gore and the fact In acting, he was trying to delay impeachment, foes say. If he hadn't, they may have called him weak.

From News Services WASHINGTON Even before President Bill Clinton ordered a military strike against Iraq on Wednesday, he faced a no-win political choice over whether to use military force on the eve of the House's scheduled impeachment debate. If he bombed, his critics would say he did it simply to disrupt the impeachment drive in Congress. If he did not bomb Iraq, he was certain to be denounced as weak and indecisive in the face of President Saddam Hussein's continued provocationsjust as Clinton was criticized last month when he canceled airstrikes against Iraq at the eleventh hour. In a televised address Wednesday, Clinton said Iraq presented "a clear and present danger to the stability of the Persian Gulf and the safety of people We had to act, and act now." Congressional reaction was decidedly mixed. "I think it would be awkward to have an impeachment vote during a bombing in Iraq," said Rep.

Hen-r ry Hyde, chairman of the Gore postpones The Associated Press WASHINGTON Vice President Al Gore should have been in New Hampshire this week, shaking hands, talking about jobs and clean water, and laying seeds for his own campaign for the presidency in 2000. Instead, he was trying to rally support for President Bill Clinton in the midst of another scandal. On Wednesday morning, Gore his own campaigning to work at rallying support for Clinton somberly called on Congress to "turn away from the bitter partisanship" and find a compromise to avoid impeachment. Working off a list developed by the president's aides, Gore telephoned select House members this week to plead Clinton's case. He canceled a planned trip today to New Hamp- shire, home of the nation's first presidential primary, because of the scheduled impeachment vote.

"The vice president is committed i i ri tn A tmi.