Word: aspine
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...were often rudderless, according to a close associate of one participant. In a break with tradition at such meetings, the lower-echelon advisers tended to pipe up freely, sometimes carrying on debates among themselves, while senior officials like Christopher offered sensible observations but were mostly silent. Defense Secretary Les Aspin was just the opposite, caroming from subject to subject, the official said. Foreign policy experts Tony Lake and Sandy Berger, meanwhile, wanted to position Clinton as a forceful leader, to set him apart from Jimmy Carter...
...central figure in the Administration's security policy. Powell, who has clashed openly with Clinton on issues like gays in the military, found himself thrust into a key role in developing a Bosnia plan, even though he had serious reservations about intervention. In meetings with Congress last week, Aspin and Powell left no doubt about the situation. Powell dominated the session, going into such detail on the military options, an attendee said, that he may have undercut the Administration's position by stating the drawbacks so clearly. Other White House advisers have been even more forcefully opposed to military intervention...
...meanwhile, have escalated. By sending Christopher abroad and calling for prompt action after the Bosnian-Serb rejection, Clinton generated momentum toward a confrontation. It would be awkward for him to back down. "Once you say you're going to do something," explained a congressional leader who was briefed by Aspin last week, "you have to do it. There is no turning back without a big cost." Even so, Clinton is not planning to order any military moves unilaterally or suddenly. He intends to ask Congress for a vote of confidence and the U.N. Security Council for a resolution...
...issue of women in combat is still not entirely resolved. Before Aspin's order went out, about half the 1.75 million slots in the armed forces were closed to the 201,000 women in uniform because they could not serve in combat units. Under the new rules, they are still ineligible for about 40% of the slots. The reason: those assignments are in "combat arms" of Army and Marine ground forces, mainly infantry, armored units and artillery. While a few slots might open up for women in missile artillery, no one is talking about putting women into tanks or foxholes...
...Pentagon. Originally Defense Secretary Les Aspin leaned toward air strikes to punish the Serbs, while Colin Powell, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, counseled against any involvement unless the U.S. used overwhelming force to win complete victory. But eventually they came to Clinton united. Neither wanted to commit American ground forces. Both were willing to exempt the Bosnian Muslims from the arms embargo. They agreed that air strikes would be unlikely to accomplish ambitious goals like rolling back Serbian territorial gains. Air Force Chief of Staff Merrill A. McPeak testified that his bombers could "put out of business" most...