Lessons to Be Learned From Bosnian Crisis

I'm not a Democrat, but I am bewildered by the bum rap President Clinton has taken for the decision to stay out of Bosnia. Don't the hawks in the press and politics remember the futility of US action in Vietnam and Soviet action in Afghanistan when public support was lacking?

World crises abound, and the misery requires a certain triage. Therefore, we can act only when there is an obvious threat to our society, as there was when Iraq threatened Western oil supplies.

Pretending that our moral and economic resources are infinite assures the eventual depletion of all those resources and any hope of meaningful response. Walter Coyle, De Pere, Wis.

Your letters are welcome. For publication they must be signed and include your address and telephone number. Only a selection can be published, and none acknowledged. Letters should be addressed to ``Readers Write,'' and can be sent by Internet E-mail (200 word maximum) to OPED@RACHEL.CSPS.COM, by fax to 617-450-2317, or by mail to One Norway St., Boston, MA 02115