White House vs Congress

Clinton ordered the June 26, 1993 attack in response to what he called "compelling evidence" that Iraq had attempted to assassinate former President George Bush when he visited Kuwait in April. Sixteen suspects in the alleged attack, several of whom are said to have confessed to involvement in a plot to kill Bush, are facing charges in Kuwait. In the five-minute attack, two Navy ships, the destroyer USS Peterson and the cruiser USS Chancellorsville in the Persian Gulf, launched 23 Tomahawk cruise missiles. Iraq reported that three of the missiles went astray, killing or wounding eight civilians.

When President Clinton stated that the attack against President Bush was an attack against the United States and against all Americans--and that such an action against the nation could not go unanswered--most lawmakers endorsed that sentiment. Even some liberals saluted the president for the restraint involved in the attack, stating that if he had bombed during the day--killing many people--they would have been outraged, but the president acted with commendable restraint.

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somewhat differently. In May, 1993, President Clinton stated that he would certainly seek some form of Congressional backing for any use of American forces in Bosnia. Although the Constitution explicitly grants Congress the power to declare war, recent presidents have resisted the notion that they are obliged to deal with lawmakers over dispatching troops. Some analysts believe that Clinton, who now is facing a troubling decision over whether to put Americans at risk to help end the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, apparently believes protecting his Presidential prerogatives is less important than obtaining political cover by sharing the responsibility with Congress. President Bush sought Congressional approval for the American-led military operation to drive Iraqi invaders from Kuwait in 1991, but he did so under pressure, portraying his action as a courtesy to Congress, and not something he was obliged to do. His decision to seek resolution in both houses endorsing the Persian Gulf War came after intense debate in the White House as to whether he was setting a bad precedent. Furthermore, if President Clinton, a Democrat, follows the albeit grudging lead of a Republican President, he could help to set a pattern. In recent
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1456
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)

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