V-E DAY, V-J DAY COMMEMORATE HARD-FOUGHT WINS

President Bill Clinton last week stretched credulity when he snubbed U.S. veterans and allies of World War II on two fronts.

First he announced he would celebrate the 50th anniversary of V-E Day, the end of the war in Europe, not by accepting invitations to attend ceremonies in France and Great Britain but by heading to Moscow. The former Soviet Union, technically an ally in World War II, became our nation's archenemy in the ensuing 40-year Cold War. That Russia now has shaken off communism and is struggling to give democracy a foothold has little to do with what happened 50 years ago when the Soviet leaders demanded Eastern Europe as spoils of the war.

One day after the Moscow announcement, Clinton redubbed V-J Day, commemorating victory over Japan in World War II, calling it the End of the Pacific War. That announcement came on the heels of published reports that the administration reduced plans for a gathering of Pacific heads of state at Pearl Harbor on Sept. 2, the 50th anniversary of Japan's formal surrender.

The reason: The president doesn't want to embarrass Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama, who is on thin political ice in his homeland.

Both V-Day decisions were based on Clinton's willingness to sacrifice history -- and its significance in shaping the world in which we live today -- on the altar of present-day political viability, a term a young Bill Clinton used in the 1960s to justify his draft-dodging.

It is no wonder the theme song of Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign and his subsequent inauguration was Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow." Our president seems unable to comprehend the magnitude of the past. Not only does Clinton fail to discern the immense sacrifices by Americans and their allies on behalf of freedom, he insults the memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice and lost their lives in the Pacific. Those soldiers fought against a fierce and tenacious foe: the emperor's army of Japan.

Mr. President, the good guys won, and this nation ought to be proud of the fact. Proud enough to celebrate Victory Over Japan Day.

If Japan would have defeated the allied forces, we could commemorate the End of the Pacific War, as the president prefers. But where would he -- indeed, where would any of us -- be under that scenario?

There is nothing insensitive about recalling a time when the forces of freedom defeated a despotic and racist regime. The United States and Japan have moved beyond the past bitterness and distrust to embrace each other as allies in the world economy. Our president should move beyond his own squeamishness and properly honor those whose bravery and patriotism allow him to preside over a free and stout nation.

Isn't it enough that the United States rebuilt from scratch Japan's infrastructure, economy and government? Isn't it enough that our free-trade policies have enabled Japanese business interests to buy into and own a sizable portion of our economy? Why now must we worry about being insensitive over events 50 years removed?

But instead of embracing the indisputable witness of history -- victory in a war in which veterans gave their blood and tears -- the president seems more interested in political triumphs that are temporary and insignificant.