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An interesting historical footnote found while compiling the Iraq war timeline, this one from December 1998. At the time a surprise attack dubbed "Operation Desert Fox" had been launched on Iraq - four days of aerial bombardment "to strike military and security targets in Iraq that contribute to Iraq's ability to produce, store, maintain and deliver weapons of mass destruction."
The attack was a response to years of obstinance and obfuscation on the part of Saddam regarding weapons of mass destruction and cooperation with UN inspections. However, it coincided with a key vote in the House regarding the pending impeachment of President Bill Clinton. The vote would be delayed until the conclusion of military ops, a nod to the acknowledged importance of a unified domestic front in time of war - even if there are no "boots on the ground".
Still, some could not resist the impulse to "question the timing" of the attack. Among them, an obscure congressman from New York:
Rep. Gerald Solomon (R-New York) issued a statement with the headline: "Bombs Away -- Save Impeachment for Another Day?"Solomon's remarks brought a rapid response from an obscure congressman from Connecticut - who expressed surprise that Solomon - a veteran of the Marine Corps - had spoken out:"It is obvious that they're (the Clinton White House) doing everything they can to postpone the vote on this impeachment in order to try to get whatever kind of leverage they can, and the American people ought to be as outraged as I am about it," Solomon said in an interview with CNN.
Asked if he was accusing Clinton of playing with American lives for political expediency, Solomon said, "Whether he knows it or not, that's exactly what he's doing. When you put our troops in the air or on the ground, you are risking their lives. This president ought to know better. I don't know if he does or not, because he's so unpredictable."
Solomon complained that key congressmen had not been told of the military strike. He said Clinton should have briefed more members of Congress and delayed the attack until early next week.
"It would still be spontaneous," Solomon said. "He could still launch the attack, but it would not have been political the way it is today."
Upon hearing Solomon's remarks, Democratic Rep. Sam Gejdenson of Connecticut went before CNN's cameras to rip into Solomon for his accusation.For the record, I was in the military back then too, and I don't recall this specific incident, nor do I remember the general flap in congress as being particularly notable to those of us just trying to do our jobs. Others have better memory than I do, of course. Now years later an obscure congressman (and ex-Marine) from Pennsylvania pulls a similar stunt (albeit with far more grave consequences likely for the GIs actually on on the ground)."Gerry Solomon's spent a career here making outrageous statements, but as an ex-Marine, he ought to know better," Gejdenson said. "That was an outrageous, outrageous statement."
Gejdenson said the nation cannot tie a president's hands based on developments on Capitol Hill.
"Think of the message," Gejdenson said. "If we tell every country out there that might want to do harm to America's interests that every time there's a political squabble in Washington, the presidency has to be frozen, that's outrageous."
Some will see a simple coincidence, others will surmise that political payback is a bitch.
