August 17, 1992 GOVERNOR CLINTON'S FOREIGN POLICY GEORGE BUSH HAS ACHIEVED MORE IN AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY IN A SINGLE TERM THAN ANY OTHER AMERICAN PRESIDENT SINCE THE REPUBLIC'S EARLY DAYS. BILL CLINTON HAS NEVER MADE A FOREIGN POLICY DECISION IN HIS LIFE. o Clinton's Self-Professed Role Model -- Jimmy Carter: While American Embassy personnel were being held hostage in Teheran, Clinton thought Jimmy Carter was performing his executive role brilliantly: "Iran has helped [Carter] enormously because people are seeing in him again what they thought they saw when they elected him -- a smart, good, solid, profoundly thoughtful and firm man doing his best in a difficult time ..." (Arkansas Gazette, 12/30/79). o Gulf War Waffle: Though he persists in claiming that "I supported the decision to use force to get Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait," the truth is that Clinton said absolutely nothing on the issue until two days after Congress voted to authorize the use of force. At the time Clinton's instinct was to continue sanctions instead of taking decisive action: "I agree with the arguments of the people in the minority on the resolution -- that we should give sanctions more time and maybe even explore a full-scale embargo ... before we go to war," (AP, as printed in the Pine Bluff Commercial, 1/15/91). But, he could not resist waffling -- trying as usual to have it both ways: "I guess I would have voted with the majority if it was a close vote. But I agree with the argument the minority made" (Arkansas Gazette, 1/15/91). o Defense Policy: Clinton would slash America's defense by nearly $60 billion more than the President's careful defense reductions. Clinton's defense cuts would put as many as one million Americans out of work. He would turn a sensible defense drawdown into a freefall, cracking the morale and readiness of our military, bringing back the dispirited "hollow" army of the Carter era. The man who, as Governor of a small state, got kicked out of office for letting unarmed Cuban refugees roam around the West Arkansas countryside, is not the man to plan America's national security needs into the next century. George Bush, the man who oversaw the most successful and extensive mobilization of American fighting men and women in decades, is. o Shutting America Out of the World Economy: Clinton has said his first foreign policy priority would be to restore America's economic vitality. But Clinton's economic plan would hurt the American economy imposing taxes that will cost 2.6 million jobs. Clinton has also claimed that he wants to increase trade, which requires free trade policies that reduce tariffs and market barriers. But Clinton, imprisoned by Democratic special interests and Big Labor, cannot bring himself to pair the words "free" and "trade" (nor did the Democratic platform). Clinton has backed away from his earlier support for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). He did not even mention NAFTA in a speech in Southern California the day after the agreement was announced. Clinton ignores the record-breaking growth in U.S. exports and world-beating productivity. He continues to promote radical environmental measures -- such as an unnecessary increase in auto efficiency standards -- that would sacrifice at least 300,000 auto-related American jobs. His $219 billion plus in spending hikes would crowd out private investment while increasing the budget deficit by at least $200 billion over four years. o Support for Yeltsin and Democracy in Russia: Clinton has emphasized the need to encourage democratic forces. But he failed the most important test of judgment, the rise of democracy in Russia. When Clinton went to Moscow in June 1991 at the time Yeltsin was running for the Russian presidency, Clinton failed to meet with Yeltsin. Yet, he found time to talk to Yeltsin's opponent, a Communist Party hack. Then Clinton accused Yeltsin of manipulating the election, suggesting that the Russian had scheduled it "in a hurry so the other candidates wouldn't have time to get known" (Arkansas Gazette, 6/13/91). Clinton recklessly took sides against the man leading the future of democracy in Russia. o Clinton and the Middle East: Clinton has accused the President of mishandling the peace process and the issue of loan guarantees to Israel. Yet, just this week, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin complimented the President's decisiveness in defeating Saddam, destroying the most dangerous threat to Israel's security. It is because of George Bush's extensive skill and experience that today Israel has achieved face-to-face negotiations with all of its Arab neighbors -- Israel's top diplomatic objective. o Yugoslavia: Clinton's statements have wandered in defining the war aims he proposes for American military action in the Balkans. Following Clinton's stumbling performance, the Boston Globe reported (on 8/10/92) that Clinton seemed "vague, hesitant and uncharacteristically unsure of himself on several questions." The Globe concluded that Clinton was "muddy about what he had in mind when it came to military force in the Balkans, seemingly suggesting that simply contemplating its use was a policy end capable of achieving a foreign policy result." George Bush has had to face the wrenching decision of whether to put America's fighting men and women in the line of fire. He moved decisively in the Persian Gulf and Panama when America's interests were directly threatened. He understands the need to have clearly defined military missions, clearly obtainable political objectives, and to think through these options -- especially where American lives could be put at risk -- before speaking. Clearly, Clinton does not. # # #