The Water's Edge

By Frank Pellegrini Friday, July 11, 1997
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WASHINGTON, D.C.: After coming awfully close to wading into the Atlantic today, the Senate pulled back from ordering a cutoff date for funding U.S. troops in Bosnia to force the soldiers home. Instead, Senators settled for a non-binding resolution in support of the June 30 deadline already promised by the Clinton administration. After Senator Russell Feingold's cutoff proposal met with strong objection from majority leader Trent Lott, and others, the compromise resolution finally ensured that nothing would change for the troops. TIME's Mark Thompson wasn't too surprised that politics had once again stopped at the water's edge. "I don't believe Congress would ever really cut off funding," he said. "They talk a lot, but when push comes to shove, they're not going to mess with the President's prerogative as commander-in-chief. They don't want that responsibility."