And it couldn't manage national security. For example, under Jimmy Carter, the last Democratic president, Americans felt the country lost power and influence in the world. Clinton claims Kosovo has solved that problem. The leaders, for one thing. But it's also the policy.
Conservatives believe in toughness.
Clinton's Kosovo policy was tough. But conservatives insist the United States should take action only when its vital interests are at stake. Kosovo did not pass that test. Kosovo was important, it was humanitarian, but it was not a vital interest. For the first time, the House of Representatives refused to endorse a U.S. military mission that was underway.