DATE=02/20/98
TYPE=U-S U-S OPINION ROUNDUP
NUMBER=6-10584
TITLE=IRAQI DEBATE AT OHIO STATE
BYLINE=ANDREW N. GUTHRIE
TELEPHONE=619-3335
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
EDITOR=ASSIGNMENTS
CONTENT=
INTRO: THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL ARENA IN COLUMBUS,
OHIO, HAS BEEN THE SCENE OF A LOT OF WILD AND TUMULTUOUS BEHAVIOR
BECAUSE OF THE FAMED "BUCKEYES" (OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY NICKNAME)
BASKETBALL FORTUNES. BUT THE ARENA HAS NEVER BEFORE BEEN THE
SCENE OF A WILD AND TUMULTUOUS FOREIGN POLICY DEBATE LIKE THE
ONE THAT TOOK PLACE ON WEDNESDAY AS THREE TOP CLINTON
ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS TRIED TO EXPLAIN AND DEFEND THE NATION'S
POLICY TOWARD IRAQ.
JOINING US NOW WITH SOME EDITORIAL REACTION TO THE NOISY AND
OFTEN CONFRONTATIONAL SESSION IS ____________________ WITH
TODAY'S U-S OPINION ROUNDUP.
TEXT: THE IDEA WAS TO HAVE SECRETARIES MADELEINE ALBRIGHT,
RICHARD COHEN AND NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER SANDY BERGER VISIT
SOME COLLEGE CAMPUSES TO EXPLAIN TO STUDENTS AND TOWNSPEOPLE
ALIKE WHY THE PRESIDENT BELIEVES AN ATTACK ON IRAQ MAY BE
NECESSARY. WHAT NO ONE EXPECTED WAS THE HOSTILE REACTION AND
OFTEN PENETRATING QUESTIONS FROM A SMALL CLUSTER OF ANTI-WAR
PROTESTERS, QUESTIONS WHICH REMINDED MANY PEOPLE OF THE
CONTENTIOUS DEBATE ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES IN THE 1960S OVER THE WAR
IN VIETNAM. ALTHOUGH THE MAJORITY OF THE AUDIENCE WAS POLITE,
AND APPEARED EITHER NEUTRAL, OR IN FAVOR OF AN ATTACK, IF ALL
ELSE FAILS, IT WAS THE VOCAL ANTI-WAR MINORITY THAT MADE
NEWSPAPER AND TELEVISION HEADLINES. THE DEBATE WAS BROADCAST
LIVE BY CABLE NEWS NETWORK [CNN], AND IN LONDON, "THE GUARDIAN"
WENT SO FAR AS TO CALL IT A "SELF-INFLICTED PUBLIC RELATIONS
DISASTER [THAT] .... WILL UNDOUBTEDLY BE USED TO EMBARRASS THE
ADMINISTRATION AT HOME AND ABROAD ...
WE BEGIN OUR SAMPLING OF REACTION FROM THE U-S PRESS AT THE
SOURCE, OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY, WITH THIS EDITORIAL FROM THE
UNIVERSITY DAILY PAPER "THE LANTERN."
VOICE: DISRUPTIONS ASIDE, WHAT SECRETARY OF STATE ALBRIGHT,
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE COHEN AND NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER
... BERGER PRESENTED TO THE PUBLIC MAY AS WELL NOT HAVE
BEEN SAID AT ALL. THERE WAS NO NEW INFORMATION GIVEN,
NO DIRECT ANSWERS PROFFERED. CONSEQUENTLY, THERE WAS NO
REASON FOR ANYONE IN ST. JOHN ARENA, OR ANYWHERE ELSE IN
THE WORLD, TO FEEL ANY MORE COMFORTABLE WITH THE IDEA OF
MILITARY INTERVENTION FOLLOWING THE TOWN MEETING THAN
BEFORE IT BEGAN. ON MONDAY WE USED THE WORDS
'INCOHERENT' AND 'DISCONNECTED' TO EXPLAIN THE
ADMINISTRATION'S POLICY TOWARD IRAQ. .....FOLLOWING
WEDNESDAY'S RATHER LACKLUSTER PERFORMANCE BY [SECRETARY]
ALBRIGHT AND COMPANY, WE'D LIKE TO ADD TWO MORE. VAGUE
AND EVASIVE.
TEXT: AND HOW ABOUT REACTION FROM THE TOWN SURROUNDING THAT HUGE
CENTRAL OHIO CAMPUS. "THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH" SAYS THE "SHARP
QUESTIONS SHOW [THAT] AMERICANS ARE TUNED IN" TO THE CRISIS,
PERHAPS MORE THAN THE ADMINISTRATION MAY HAVE THOUGHT.
VOICE: THE FOREIGN POLICY TOWN HALL .... MIGHT HAVE APPEARED TO
BE PARTICIPATORY DEMOCRACY AT ITS BEST. CERTAINLY,
CITIZENS OF MOST NATIONS CAN ONLY DREAM OF BEING ABLE TO
OPENLY CHALLENGE TOP GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS. ..... THE
FORUM WAS HIGHLY CHARGED THEATER. SOME MEMBERS OF THE
AUDIENCE ASKED PARTICULARLY SHARP AND CHALLENGING
QUESTIONS, SHOWING THAT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE CLOSELY
TUNED TO THIS INTERNATIONAL CRISIS. SOME QUESTIONS CUT
TO THE BONE [GOT TO THE CORE OF THE ISSUE INVOLVED]:
WHAT RIGHT DOES THE UNITED STATES HAVE TO GO TO WAR
AGAINST IRAQ? WOULD A MILITARY ACTION BE ENDED TOO
SOON, AS THE LAST ONE WAS? DO WE CARE ABOUT THE HUMAN
SHIELDS THAT SADDAM, HUSSEIN WILL PLACE AROUND TARGETS?
...... DIFFICULT QUESTIONS ALL, BUT WELL-HANDLED BY
SECRETARY OF STATE MADELEINE ALBRIGHT, DEFENSE SECRETARY
WILLIAM ... COHEN AND NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR SANDY
BERGER ..... THE ONLY BLOTS ON THE FORUM WERE CATCALLS
[DERISIVE SHOUTS] BY A SMALL GROUP OF HECKLERS WHO TOOK
IT UPON THEMSELVES TO PREVENT OTHERS FROM HEARING ABOUT
A GRAVE ISSUE AND ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT IT.
TEXT: STILL IN THE MIDWEST, "THE DETROIT NEWS" IS UPSET,
SUGGESTING THAT "FOREIGN POLICY AIN'T OPRAH [A REFERENCE TO A
POPULAR, NATIONAL TELEVISION DISCUSSION PROGRAM HOSTED BY OPRAH
WINFREY.] "THE NEWS" CONTINUES:
VOICE: FOREIGN POLICY REQUIRES REAL LEADERSHIP, NOT WARM FUZZY
FEELINGS AND 'DIALOGUE.' IF PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON
REALLY WANTED PUBLIC INPUT, HE SHOULD HAVE DEMANDED THAT
CONGRESS DEBATE A RESOLUTION OF SUPPORT BEFORE IT
ADJOURNED FOR ITS MID-WINTER BREAK. INSTEAD HE LET THE
REPUBLICAN-LED CONGRESS GET OUT OF TOWN WITHOUT TAKING A
CLEAR POSITION ON THE ISSUE. MR. CLINTON THOUGHT HE
COULD GO AROUND CONGRESS TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, BUT THE
EPISODE IN COLUMBUS ... SHOWED A PRESIDENT WITH AN
UNCHARACTERISTICALLY TIN [IN THIS CASE "DEAF"] EAR FOR
PUBLIC OPINION. ALTHOUGH A UNIVERSITY TOWN ISN'T
NECESSARILY REPRESENTATIVE OF THE COUNTRY, IT'S CLEAR
THE PUBLIC IS BEGINNING TO FOCUS ON THE POSSIBILITY OF
WAR -- AND NOT SURPRISINGLY, IT'S DEEPLY AMBIVALENT.
/// OPT ///
TEXT: PICKING UP ON THE CRITICISM OF CONGRESS FOR FAILING TO
HOLD A FORMAL DEBATE ON SUCH AN IMPORTANT ISSUE, IN CONTRAST TO
THE HOUSE OF COMMONS IN LONDON, WHICH DID, "USA TODAY" NOTES:
VOICE: INSTEAD OF LEADING BY THOUGHTFUL EXAMPLE, SUCH AS THE
SERIOUS DEBATE WHICH PRECEDED OPERATION DESERT STORM IN
1991, CONGRESS ABANDONED THE FIELD TO THE RAVINGS OF
TV'S TALKING HEADS, RADIO CALL-INS AND EVENTS LIKE THE
RAUCOUS 'TOWN HALL' WEDNESDAY IN COLUMBUS, OHIO.
INSTEAD OF CONFRONTING THE QUESTION OF PUTTING U-S LIVES
AT RISK TO ENFORCE THE WEAPONS BAN SADDAM AGREED TO,
CONGRESS IS OFF ON ANOTHER RECESS .....
TEXT: NOW TO THE SOUTHWEST, WHERE "THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS" SAYS
WHOEVER IN THE ADMINISTRATION THOUGHT UP THIS TOWN HALL MEETING
IDEA MAY BE IN FOR A DIFFICULT TIME AHEAD.
VOICE: A NEW ENDANGERED SPECIES AROSE IN WASHINGTON THIS WEEK:
CLINTON ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS WHO THOUGHT A ... TOWN
HALL MEETING AT OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY ... WAS A GOOD
IDEA. STUDENT CHANTING AND ANGRY SPEAKERS MADE IT HARD
FOR THE PRESIDENT'S TOP THREE FOREIGN POLICY OFFICIALS
TO OUTLINE AMERICA'S POSITION ..... THE DECISION TO TAKE
THE DEBATE OVER THIS SITUATION TO AMERICA'S HEARTLAND
THROUGH TOWN HALL MEETINGS IN OHIO, TENNESSEE AND SOUTH
CAROLINA WAS CERTAINLY RISKY. BUT THE PRESIDENT
DESERVES CREDIT FOR CREATING A FORUM WHERE THE PUBLIC
COULD DEBATE THIS CONTROVERSIAL ISSUE.
TEXT: IN NEW YORK CITY, "THE DAILY NEWS" HAD THIS COMMENT ABOUT
THE DEBATE AT OHIO STATE:
VOICE: FOR A BUNCH OF BABY BOOMERS WHO GREW UP IN -- AND
PARTICIPATED IN -- THE ANTI-VIETNAM WAR MOVEMENT, THE
WHITE HOUSE GENIUSES DIDN'T LEARN MUCH. MUST BE
LONG-TERM MEMORY LOSS. HOW ELSE TO EXPLAIN THE DECISION
TO ROAD-TEST THEIR WAR PLANS .... AT OHIO STATE
UNIVERSITY? SURELY THEY REMEMBER THAT COLLEGE STUDENTS
WERE THE LEADERS OF THE ANTI-WAR EFFORTS 30 YEARS AGO
AND TRADITIONALLY ARE THE LAST TO SUPPORT WARS.
TEXT: THAT CONCLUDES A SAMPLING OF EDITORIAL COMMENT ON THE TOWN
HALL MEETING EARLIER THIS WEEK AT OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY IN
COLUMBUS.
NEB/ANG/KL
20-Feb-98 1:56 PM EST (1856 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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