House Vote on Balkan Crisis

Re “2 House Votes Point to Lack of Support for Balkan Action,” April 29: Are the Republicans so blinded by hatred of President Clinton that they can’t see that the reason for being in Kosovo is to stop genocide, finally to live up to the promise of “Never again”? Apparently, for Republicans, if there’s no way for their rich friends to make money in Kosovo, why bother, let them die!

Michael Ledeen (Commentary, April 29) has been reading too many potboilers. If he thinks that the Kosovo situation could be solved by the Special Forces taking out Serb “mobile killing units,” then he’s off in cloud-cuckoo-land.

CHARLES E. BEREZIN

Los Angeles

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Ledeen skewers Clinton as a Machiavellian president who “has run from real warfare all his life.” Adjudged by a federal judge to be in contempt of court, Clinton is now in contempt of civilization, raining death from the skies on old and young, good and bad.

Thank God for Rep. Tom Campbell (R-San Jose) for demanding that Republicans and Democrats in Congress not abdicate this life-and-death decision of a paltry politico trying to rehabilitate his leadership failure with this false war. Prince Charming has blood on his hands--and has placed us all in jeopardy.

JOHN CARL BROGDON

Long Beach

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Congratulations, members of the House, mission accomplished. Your vote has successfully undermined my fighting spirit and effectiveness as a U.S. Army reservist.

SPC. JOHN SALAZAR

Victorville

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Re “Which Side Are You On, Boys,” by Bill Press, Commentary, April 30: The thought of having an elected Senate and House that blindly back any decision the president makes is frightening. I want to have my representatives voting both their consciences and mine. So whether or not the lives in Kosovo are more important than the lives in Rwanda should be debated and decided for the people by those we elected. The idea that we are unpatriotic if we don’t blindly back the wants of one man, the president, doesn’t sound very much like a democracy. A true patriot, in my view, thinks and votes.

KELWIN HAGEN

West Hollywood

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The war in the Gulf was about oil. The war in Kosovo is about genocide. Where is Congress with its support?

CLINT GRAVES

Banning