Chapomatic

Some of last week’s Iraq “immediate withdrawal” discussions sounded a little familiar.

I was doing a little research, checking on a rumor. First, Captain Ed confirms the rumor with references. A followup post summarizes:

Had Murray looked into Murtha’s record, she would have found that the Pennsylvania Democrat has a record of only supporting military operations until the first casualties get reported. In fact, the only time prior to 9/11 that America’s military faced off against terrorists and warlords in battle, Murtha demanded that Bill Clinton withdraw them immediately from Somalia — and got what he wanted.

Murtha’s stance has remained consistent: he supports the military as a defense unit, but not in any forward engagement that results in casualties.

Murtha’s position was much more popular in 1993. (As far as I can tell, Murtha also opposed going into Somalia in the first place, so he was also more consistent in his 1993 position.) After the casualties were sustained on TV, several House bills to withdraw from Somalia were presented in rather rapid succession. Rep. Curt Weldon was pretty emotional about it, and lots of folks were Outraged. Weldon said, proving that argument by Bad Thing That Happened doesn’t work:

SOMALIA (House of Representatives – October 20, 1993)

[Page: H8208]Mr. WELDON. …Yesterday I filed a discharge petition No. 9 to force out House Resolution 227 , offered by my Democrat colleague, the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Brown].

Ben Pilla, from Vineland, NJ, said it best, and I quote: `I ask this Congress to put as much effort into investigating this foreign policy disaster as they put into investigating Watergate and Iran-Contra. Neither Watergate nor Iran-Contra cost the lives of American soldiers.’

Ben’s son, Dominick, was killed in Somalia on October 3, 1993, and buried on October 11. To Ben, his father, to his son, to Dominick, we owe the American people a debate and a vote on the presence of our troops in Somalia.

This is exactly the flawed logic that fails these advocates for withdrawal. Even a businessman knows not to obsess over sunk cost. Put in grunt terms, why would someone who died to do something want that something unfinished? Put in other terms, why does merely showing something bad like that make a logical argument?

If you look at Murtha’s speaking at last week’s debate and vote, this kind of speaking was most of the logic he used: These guys got killed. I go to Walter Reed all the time to see these poor fellows. I get letters saying how bad this is and some of them who got hurt don’t like what we’re doing. Compelling stuff–but wartime requires a hard heart to dispassionately evaluate decisions.

But I’m one to talk–I’ve got 20/20 hindsight. Problem was, the Somalia action advocated by folks like Weldon and Murtha came up against the Law Of Unintended Consequences.

Via Newsbusters, a PBS Frontline page with an interview with Bin Laden that matches his declaration of war speech but with more explanation and less bluster:

Question: Describe the situation when your men took down the American forces in Somalia.

Bin Laden: After our victory in Afghanistan and the defeat of the oppressors who had killed millions of Muslims, the legend about the invincibility of the superpowers vanished. Our boys no longer viewed America as a superpower. So, when they left Afghanistan, they went to Somalia and prepared themselves carefully for a long war. They had thought that the Americans were like the Russians, so they trained and prepared. They were stunned when they discovered how low was the morale of the American soldier. America had entered with 30,000 soldiers in addition to thousands of soldiers from different countries in the world. … As I said, our boys were shocked by the low morale of the American soldier and they realized that the American soldier was just a paper tiger. He was unable to endure the strikes that were dealt to his army, so he fled, and America had to stop all its bragging and all that noise it was making in the press after the Gulf War in which it destroyed the infrastructure and the milk and dairy industry that was vital for the infants and the children and the civilians and blew up dams which were necessary for the crops people grew to feed their families. Proud of this destruction, America assumed the titles of world leader and master of the new world order. After a few blows, it forgot all about those titles and rushed out of Somalia in shame and disgrace, dragging the bodies of its soldiers. America stopped calling itself world leader and master of the new world order, and its politicians realized that those titles were too big for them and that they were unworthy of them. I was in Sudan when this happened. I was very happy to learn of that great defeat that America suffered, so was every Muslim. …

Unfortunately, guys like bin Laden figured this out too and decided that taking a few Tomahawks every once in a while was no big deal and they could continue killing us at every convenient opportunity.

Which is why Murtha was a little more lonely when he called for us to cut and run this time around. Some of us learned from Somalia.

(Some of my research is under the “more”, unorganized because I’m tired of looking at it.)

H.Con.Res.170 passed the House 390-8, with 35 abstentions.

From the Congressional Record, Congressman Mazzoli, D-KY, a “quagmire” almost as quick as the predicted Afghani invasion “quagmire”:

THE QUAGMIRE OF SOMALIA (House of Representatives – October 05, 1993)

[Page: H7383]

(Mr. MAZZOLI asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. MAZZOLI. Mr. Speaker, it is a truism to say that you can get out of a quagmire by getting further and deeper into it. That is exactly what it appears will happen if we deploy further troops to Somalia. We are in a quagmire, and we will not get out of that quagmire by getting further and deeper into it.

Starting this summer in July, I have been speaking from this well, from this floor, urging the President to get our troops home. The original mission in Somalia has been accomplished and it was done laudably and honorably and done very well. That mission of feeding the starving people of Somalia is behind us.

The next mission, which I must remind everyone is being directed by the United Nations, not by U.S. commanders, but by U.N. commanders, it was the United Nations that sent the U.S. troops into battle yesterday that claimed 12 lives and injured 78, left our forces undefended for 6 hours, is nation-building and government-creating. That mission is a quagmire.

Mr. Speaker, the quicker we can get our people home, the better.

Congresswoman Jane Harman (D-CA) has a statement on her website:

IN SUPPORT OF WITHDRAWING TROOPS FROM SOMALIA BY MARCH 31

November 09, 1993

Mr. Speaker, later today I will support the Foreign Affairs Committee resolution calling on the President to withdraw United States combat forces from Somalia by March 31, 1994, and oppose the Gilman amendment to advance that deadline to January 31.

As a member of the Armed Services Committee, I think we have much to learn about shaping effective peacekeeping policies without overloading our own shrinking forces.

President Clinton took an important step in that direction when he shifted the emphasis of our mission away from fighting Aideed and set the deadline of March 31, 1994, for withdrawing U.S. combat forces.

I support this resolution because it underlines Congress’ role while giving the President the time he seeks to finish this mission. As Chairman Hamilton has said, `We owe it to those who have already given their lives to complete our mission in Somalia.’

I also agree with Chairmen Hamilton, Dellums, and Murtha that it is time for a broad review of the War Powers Resolution, which is the basis for this resolution.

Participating in peacekeeping operations is a different kind of decision from responding to a direct attack on U.S. territory, citizens, or allies.

Congress and the executive branch both have important parts to play in those debates, and the result will be a better informed and more supportive public.

Here’s a 1993 resolution that died in committee (no permalinks on THOMAS, so you’d have to search):

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that United States Armed Forces should be withdrawn from Somalia as expeditiously as possible. (Introduced in House)

HRES 227 IH

103d CONGRESS

1st Session

H. RES. 227

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that United States Armed Forces should be withdrawn from Somalia as expeditiously as possible.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

July 27, 1993

Mr. BROWN of Ohio submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that United States Armed Forces should be withdrawn from Somalia as expeditiously as possible.

Whereas the famine that served as the rationale for the United States military presence in Somalia has abated considerably;

Whereas both the United States and the United Nations lack a clear sense of mission and purpose in Somalia , particularly with respect to the deteriorating military situation;

Whereas the humanitarian mission to Somalia has been overwhelmed by the military reality in that country;

Whereas United States Armed Forces in Somalia find themselves increasingly vulnerable to sniper and rocket attacks, with the potential for a Beirut-type car bomb disaster;

Whereas United States allies in the Somalia operation have begun to question openly the basis for the mission;

Whereas the United States military presence in Somalia will cost an estimated $750,000,000 for fiscal year 1993; and

Whereas the unprecedented floods and the natural disaster in the Mississippi River Valley have brought to our attention the need for increased assistance for domestic purposes: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives implores the President to withdraw United States Armed Forces from Somalia as expeditiously as possible.

Here’s Senator Murtha in the Congressional Record in 1993 (search for murtha, somalia in 103d Congress):

Mr. Speaker, one of the Marine units I visited on my trip had served in the Persian Gulf during Christmas of 1990, was deployed overseas on a normal rotation during Christmas of 1991, was serving in Somalia during Christmas of 1992 and is scheduled for rotational deployment overseas for Christmas of 1993. They will be away from their families for four Christmases in a row. None of the troops complained about the situation, but my fear is that as we downsize and the same units are called on time after time for deployment overseas, we may begin to have a morale problem and have difficulty retaining high quality troops. I believe the biggest challenge faced by our military is to insure that we continue to have a force of highly trained, highly motivated personnel as we go through the phasedown of force structure and budgets.

Funny how the Somalia deployment would overextend the miltary like that.

Resolution 271 of the 103d Congress (I think it also dies in committee):

RESOLUTION

Urging the President to initiate the immediate orderly withdrawal of United States Armed Forces from Somalia , to ensure the safe return of all members of the Armed Forces being held prisoner by Somali warlords, and to recover the remains of members of the Armed Forces killed in Somalia .

Whereas United States Armed Forces were sent to Somalia under Operation Restore Hope in December 1992 to establish a secure environment for humanitarian relief operations;

Whereas 28,000 members of the Armed Forces contributed to this successful effort which enabled the delivery of food to Somalians and halted mass starvation;

Whereas the stated intention of the United States Government was to achieve these objectives and promptly hand over operations to a United Nations peacekeeping force, and the Commander in Chief of the United States Central Command stated that this mission had been achieved in March 1993;

Whereas United States allies, including France, Canada, Greece, Norway, New Zealand, Sweden, and Turkey, have withdrawn or are in the process of withdrawing forces from United Nations operations in Somalia ;

Whereas the United States has incurred over $1,500,000,000 in costs associated with Operation Restore Hope and support for continued United Nations operations in Somalia ;

Whereas as of October 5, 1993, 23 members of the Armed Forces have lost their lives and over 150 have been wounded in Somalia ;

Whereas United States citizens have witnessed the brutal treatment of United States prisoners in Somalia ; and

Whereas the United States Government’s commitment in Somalia is open-ended and its military mission vague, and United States Armed Forces are needlessly being placed at risk when the United States no longer has a vital interest in the outcome of the civil war in Somalia : Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that the President should use all necessary resources–

(1) to secure the immediate, safe return of those members of the United States Armed Forces being held prisoner by Somalia warloads;

(2) to recover the remains of the members of the Armed Forces killed in Somalia ; and

(3) to begin immediately the orderly withdrawal of United States Armed Forces from Somalia.