HONOURED just seven weeks ago as "Irish American of the Year" by Irish American magazine in New York, President Clinton has come under attack from a number of Irish American organisations over his opposition to the MacBride Principles and a congressional bill which would have banned partial birth abortions.
The Ancient Order of Hibernians, the exclusively Catholic Irish American organisation, withdrew an invitation to Mr Clinton to address its national convenation St Paul, Minnesota, on July 25th because he vetoed the abortion Bill two weeks ago.
A coalition of 11 groups, including the AOH, also wrote to the President criticise him for opposing passage of the MacBride Principles as part of a foreign spending Bill which he also vetoed.
While reluctant to criticise the President because of "our deep gratitude for your crucial support the Irish peace process", they said the President could not expect them to remain silent "as you continue to oppose one of our very top legislative issues".
The letter, released to the media by Father Sean McManus of the Irish National Caucus, noted that" Senator Bob Dole and the Republican leadership supported congressional legislation on the MacBride Principles, which set out fair employment guidelines for firms in Northern Ireland.
The letter was signed by the American Irish Congress the American Ireland Education Foundation, the AOH, the Brehon Law Society, Clan na Gael, the Federation of Irish American Societies of the Delaware Valley the Irish Action Coalition the Irish National Caucus, the Irish Northern Aid Committee (Noraid), Lawyers Alliance for Justice in Ireland and Voice of the Innocent.
In the Bill, which Mr Clinton vetoed for unrelated reasons, the MacBride Principles were linked to payments of the annual $20 million given by the US to the International Fund for Ireland. Mr Clinton made an election promise to support the Principles. However, in a letter to Father McManus dated April 11th, the National Security Adviser, Mr Anthony Lake, redefined this as, support for "the goals of employment which the MacBride Principles embody".
Mr Lake said the President did, not believe it would be useful to place conditions on the funding the US provided for the International Fund for Ireland, which had an excellent record on fair employment issues.
This is a "terrible betrayal of Irish Americans", Father McManus said in a statement.
The letter from the 11 groups was criticised by the Irish Voice newspaper in New York for "insultingly" asking Mr Clinton to take his cue from Republicans. It said a threat by Father McManus that the President would "destroy himself politically", among Irish Americans was ridiculous and completely over the top."
The paper, published by Mr Niall O'Dowd, a strong supporter, of Mr Clinton, also criticised the AOH for withdrawing its invitation to the President. The organisation knew he was a supporter of abortion rights before they issued the invitation, it said. But the AOH had "suddenly decided that keeping in with the outraged cardinals and bishops is more important than providing President Clinton with the support he needs during his election year. What a way to say thank you.
A motion passed by the AOH directors on Saturday said that "whereas since 1565 when to be Catholic in Ireland meant political as well as social ostracism and even in many cases death", and whereas Mr Clinton vetoed the Bill, and "whereas the bishops, and cardinals of the Catholic faith condemned the action", the invitation to Mr Clinton "is hereby withdrawn".
President Clinton was criticised by the Vatican for his "shameful veto" of the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act, which would outlaw in most cases a rare type, of "late abortion in which the brains bare sucked from the head of a foetus.
In emotional testimony to a congressional committee seeking to overturn the veto, Ms Gannet Jesse (19) described on Monday how she was aborted but survived and was brought up by stepparents. Some have said I am a botched abortion. I am happy to be alive," she said. The President told Cardinal Hickey, Archbishop of Washington, he approved of the procedure only if it would save a woman's life or prevent serious risk to her health.