October 12, 2000

NASHVILLE - At last night's debate, George W. Bush tried to show that he had done his homework on foreign policy. But an examination of his rhetoric last night shows that Bush once again made a major league mistake on an issue he had trouble with throughout the campaign.

"George W. Bush once again made a major league mistake in showing that he didn’t know that European forces are ‘on the ground’ in the Balkans and in deliberately misleading voters about his support of the bombing in Kosovo," said Gore/Lieberman National Spokesperson Douglas Hattaway. "Why did he say European forces should be ‘on the ground’ in the Balkans when there are at least 28,000 European troops in Kosovo alone? And why did he say he supported the President’s "decision in joining NATO and bombing Serbia," when in fact he did not express his support until weeks after the bombing began?"


DOESN’T BUSH KNOW WHOSE TROOPS ARE IN BOSNIA?

Bush said: "I hope our European friends become the peacekeepers in Bosnia and in the Balkans. I hope that they put the troops on the ground . . . .I think it ought to be one of our priorities to work with our European friends to convince them to put troops on the ground."

In fact, 27 European nations have more than 28,000 troops serving in the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR). They include: Austria (980 personnel on the ground); Belgium (800); Bulgaria (37); Czech Republic (175); Denmark (900); Estonia (unknown); Finland (796); France (4,700); Germany (5,800); Greece (unknown); Hungary (324); Italy (4,500); Ireland (104); Lithuania (unknown); Luxemburg (unknown); The Netherlands (1,456); Norway (980); Poland (unknown); Portugal (302); Slovakia (40); Slovenia (6); Spain (1,200); Sweden (765); Switzerland (150); Turkey (940); the United Kingdom (3,900); Ukraine (unknown). [www.kforonline.com]

There are 28 European countries that make up the vast majority of the 20,000 troops in the Bosnia Stabilization Force (SFOR). They include: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. [www.nato.int]


WHY DID BUSH MISLEAD VOTERS ABOUT HIS RECORD OF SUPPORTING THE U.S. BOMBING OF SERBIA?

Bush said: "I thought the president made the right decision in joining NATO and bombing Serbia. I supported him when they did so."

In fact, the bombing of Serbia began on March 24, 1999, and Bush did not express even measured support until April 8, 1999 - nearly two weeks later. Prior to April 8, 1999, every comment by Bush about the bombing was non-committal. Finally, he offered a measured endorsement: "It's important for the United States to be slow to engage the military, but once the military is engaged, it must be engaged with one thing in mind, and that is victory," he said after being pressed by reporters. A Houston Chronicle story documented the Governor’s statements on the crisis and reported that "Bush has been widely criticized for being slow to adopt a position on Kosovo and then for making vague statements on the subject.

Bush admitted that he "took his time" in speaking out on the Kosovo bombing. "I took a very measured approach. I took my time in making what I thought was a very important statement," Bush said. "I'm going to get criticized. I understand that. But I'm going to speak on my timetable and nobody else’s."[Houston Chronicle 4/9/00]

Assessments of Bush’s Stance

Newsweek’s Conventional Wisdom said of Bush: "GOP front-runner equivocates over bombing. Make up your mind, Macho Man!" [Newsweek, 4/5/99]

Bush Commented on Kosovo After Rivals Did. Bush did not speak out on Kosovo until the day after his GOP presidential rivals had. "[I]t took more than one attempt by reporters to get Bush to respond to questions about the bombing." [Austin American-Statesman, 3/26/99]

Bush "Crapped Out Big Time" on Life-and-Death Kosovo Stance. According to Boston Globe columnist Nyhan, "George W. crapped out big time on Kosovo, waffling, weaving, dodging, and ducking, never taking a position on a life-and-death national issue till the matter was decided." [Boston Globe, 9/1/99]

Bush "Failed" the Kosovo Test. "We’ve just seen him on the question of Kosovo, where it seems to me he failed the test. ... He didn’t step up. [He] put his head in the sand," said reporter Carl Bernstein. [CNBC, "Hardball" 6/8/99]

Bush’s Stand on Kosovo is "Vague and Tepid." According to the Wall Street Journal, Bush’s statement on air strikes in Kosovo was "vague and tepid." [Wall Street Journal, 3/30/99]

Bush Kosovo Stand "Not Exactly a Thoughtful Pronouncement." "Bush’s big stand on Kosovo? Six weeks after the air campaign began, he called the Kosovo bombing and Clinton’s policies ‘haphazard.’ Not exactly the thoughtful pronouncement of a man who wants to craft this nation’s foreign policy as president." [Investor’s Business Daily, 5/17/99]

Bush Went Jogging Instead of Offering Comment on Kosovo. "When the bombs began falling Wednesday, Bush went jogging instead of attending what have become customary meetings with reporters after his private sessions with backers of his presidential campaign. Later Wednesday, he issued a noncommittal statement and evaded reporters’ questions after an appearance in Grapevine," according to the Austin American Statesman. [Austin American-Statesman, 3/26/99]

Bush Admitted Kosovo Was "Not Even On the Radar Screen." Bush has conceded that his foreign policy experience was limited to Mexico and that Kosovo was "not even on the radar screen." [New York Times, 3/15/99]


WHY DID BUSH SAY HAITI WAS AN EXAMPLE OF A PLACE "WHERE THE MILITARY IS OVEREXTENDED" WHEN THE U.S. HAS ONLY 34 TROOPS ASSIGNED THERE?

Bush said: "But one of the problems we have in the military is we're in a lot of places around the world. And I mentioned one, and that's the Balkans. I'd very much like to get our troops out of there.... Haiti is another example."


DOESN’T BUSH’S KNOW THAT HIS OWN VP CANDIDATE LOBBIED FOR AND PROFITED FROM THE LOANS THAT BUSH NOW CRITICIZES?

Bush said: [Discussing international loans] "And there's some pretty egregious examples recently, one being Russia where we had IMF loans that ended up in the pockets of a lot of powerful people and didn't help the nation."

In fact, Bush’s own vice presidential candidate, Dick Cheney, lobbied for U.S.-backed loan to Russia that helped his own company.

"Ended up in the pockets of a lot of powerful people ..." Halliburton Co. lobbied for and received $ 292 million in loan guarantees to develop one of the world's largest oil fields in Russia. Cheney said: " ‘This is exactly the type of project we should be encouraging if Russia is to succeed in reforming its economy,’ Cheney said. ‘We at Halliburton appreciate the support of the Export-Import Bank and look forward to beginning work on this important project.’" [PR Newswire 4/6/2000]

"...Didn’t help the nation." The State Department, armed with a CIA report detailing corruption by Halliburton’s Russian partner, invoked a seldom-used prerogative and ordered suspension of the loan. The loan guarantee "ran counter to America's ‘national interest,’" the State Department ruled. [The New Republic, 8/7/00]