I do not see it this way. Just a bunch of liberal idiots who got themsleves into a trap and now desperately look for a way out while trying to minimise political damage. So what that they are planning to send ground troops? Have you looked at the map? It would be hell to go through those mountains, no? Even if they roll to Belgrade through Hungary (a very unlikely scenario), then what? They would need to stay there and fight a guerilla war in the mountains for which the Yugoslavs have been preparing for the most of this century.
What makes you think that a bunch of US mercenaries will do any better in that task than the Wehrmacht. From Sherman's March, to Wounded Knee, to Hiroshima and Dresden, to My Lai, and to Kosovo, the US Army has been good at performing such heroic tasks as bombing defenceless targets or rounding up and killing women and children, but it was defeated each time it faced a skilled combat force determined to fight.
Quite frankly, the only politically reasonable solution is to resolve this debacle our impeached commander in chief got us in before the 2000 election. Only if this conflicts continues simmering by that time, it may have an effect on the election (cf. the effect of the Iran hostage crisis on Carter's re-election).
Sending the ground invasion troops (as opposed to "piece-keeping" force to which the Serbs consent) is almost certain to keep that conflict simmering throughout 2000 in the worst possible way - US mercenaries coming back home in the body bags while there is no clear political objectives to be achieved (nobody will remember Albanian refugees by that time). In a word, the history of Vietnam repeating itself as farce.
Methinks, the Repugs understand that dynamics and do everything to prevent William "The Weasel" Clinton from finding a quick solution. We do not see any Congress action on the blatant violation of the War Powers Act yet? The Repugs seemingly unable to make their mind whether to ritualistically support our mercenaries (McCain) or let the Europeans slit each other's throats by themselves (Buchanan)? Well, wait until 2000 - when the chances are that Clinton and his halfbright side-kicks make more blunders and that can become the election issue (instead of last year's news).
I sincerely hope that the Democratic Party will be wiped out in 2000 - not because of any "ethnic solidarity," but because Democrats are the "fifth column" -- one of the most serious institutional obstacles to grassroots organizing in this country. Interstingly, Serbs are not a very popular ethnic group among northern Slavs so I do not foresee any "pan-slavic" solidarity being a major factor in solidifying ethnic opposition to the Democratic Party.
wojtek