The US is grateful for the release of the Prisoners of War under Jackson's persuasive power with the despot.

The return of the POWs makes Milosevich less of a Hitler. The admninistration (Madeleine Albright) would have preferred to continue the POW plight to unite the world against the Hitler of the 90's. One would think she would not only prefer them to still be prisoners, but pictures of tortured and beaten POWs make things better for our side.

The war on Yugoslavia is beginning to look like a fiasco by most of the world. The blame is now being placed on Rev. Jackson:

US Discourages Freelance Diplomacy By TOM RAUM Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - Jesse Jackson's recent mission to Belgrade came under fire Thursday as the Clinton administration sought to discourage citizen diplomacy, saying it was undermining efforts to end the conflict in Yugoslavia.

``Our efforts are not helped - indeed they are hurt - by uncoordinated, free-lance efforts at negotiating with Milosevic,'' Undersecretary of State Thomas Pickering told a House committee considering a peace plan crafted by a group of U.S. and Russian legislators.

The criticism came a day after Secretary of State Madeleine Albright reportedly complained to the group of 11 American lawmakers that Jackson's meeting with Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic had undercut efforts to end the war.

She said the civil rights leader's visit ``was causing terrible problems'' because he and the three released American soldiers had been photographed praying with Milosevic, Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa., told the House International Relations Committee.

Asked about the comment, Pickering told the panel: ``Secretary Albright didn't mean to disparage Jesse Jackson. ... She only regretted that the pictures of him praying with Milosevic enhanced Milosevic's position.''

Rep. James Leach, R-Iowa, asked Pickering: ``The Department of State does not object to prayer, does it?''

``No,'' Pickering responded.

Albright had sought to dissuade the group of House members led by Weldon from pressing ahead with their plan.

Later, Weldon told reporters, ``The secretary of state openly criticized Jesse Jackson. But they (the State Department) won't say that publicly.''

`If Democrats and Republicans had done this during the Gulf War, there would have been charges of treason,'' Gejdenson said. Federal law prohibits private citizens from negotiating with foreign governments.

Gejdenson's ``treason'' remarks brought angry responses from committee Republicans and one Democratic member of the delegation that met with the Russians.

``I am not a gentlewoman. If anyone thinks I was involved in treason, I would ask them to step outside,'' said Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Fla. The Truth: this country is dripping with violence, violent intentions and threats of violence on all levels.

Weldon denied he was trying to ``negotiate with the enemy,'' and said the plan was an outgrowth of regular meetings he and other lawmakers have been having with their counterparts in the Russian Duma.