1.  On the one hand the decisive American response -- under the auspices of the United Nations -- was reassuring.

2.  Certainly the initial American response to this British emphasis on nuclear weapons was unenthusiastic.

3.  And the American response to the attacks is likely to become more distracting rather than less in the coming months.

4.  At the end of the week Clinton addressed U.S. troops in Germany, again making the case that the horrors of Bosnia demanded an American response.

5.  Beneath the unity talk, there is an apparent difference about what the scope of the American response should be.

6.  Both the council and the General Assembly quickly passed resolutions condemning the attacks and endorsing an American response.

7.  Both the Security Council and the General Assembly quickly adopted resolutions condemning the attacks and endorsing an American response.

8.  But as President Clinton contemplates the next American response, it would be helpful to recall a little history.

9.  But the act does not require any particular American response.

10.  But the American response should be proportionate to the danger and determined by a careful calculation of American interests.