Monitor: US press comment on President Clinton's policy of intervention in Kosovo

All the News of the World

IN THE end, any settlement will require not only the return of the refugees and reconstruction of their communities, but also the admission of peacekeepers to keep Serbs and Albanians from resuming their fratricide. Sending troops or arming whatever's left of the Kosovo Liberation Army might sound more satisfying. But Milosevic would pursue ethnic cleansing while a ground operation was prepared, and backing the KLA's aspirations is a recipe for widening the war. Milosevic's "offer" can't be taken seriously; we must use the tools at hand to deal with his thuggery.

USA Today

WE WONDER how many American fighting men and women will have to die before Clinton decides we have been sufficiently distracted from his myriad personal defects. While we have absolutely no respect for Clinton or his leadership abilities, we fully support American pilots and other personnel involved in this flawed effort. We wish them Godspeed in their return home to safety. We hope Clinton has the courage to admit his mistake and bring them home immediately!

Barnesville Herald Gazette

WE DELUDE ourselves if we think that the aerial bombing launched Wednesday alone will do the trick. Though it might kill many people, air attacks usually risk few American casualties. We should also realize that a "clean" air war is not enough to get the job done. Remember that Yugoslavia's counterinsurgency campaign in Kosovo mostly uses special forces in small units not very vulnerable to air strikes. In any event, high-tech wars provide good graphics for CNN, but they have little to do with the reality on the ground.

Providence Journal

AT THE moment, the situation in Kosovo is worse than before the bombing, not better, and it looks as if the campaign will have to be long-lived to achieve results. In that case, the president will need public support to continue to stand up to this bloody tyrant. He may not get it, in part, because he has done so little to pave the way.

Cincinnati Post