It was my contention at the time that Elian's father deserved a day in an American court, considering that he was not contacted when his ex-wife and her family took Elian when they made their desperate attempt to reach the Florida shore. When he arrived in the United States, I thought that's what was going to happen. Then Janet Reno, fearing that Elian's American family would prevail, deceived them into complacency before a raid on their home in the early hours of Easter eve. I was on FR as I watched live on a news bulletin as masked federal agents stormed in and made off with Elian like it was a jailbreak.
As you may be aware, Gregory Craig -- one of Bill Clinton's impeachment hearing attorneys -- was hired to represent Elian's father, who had the support of Fidel Castro. Castro sure got his money's worth. IMHO, it was the third most shameful day of the Clinton Administration behind Waco and Clinton's deposition in the Paula Jones case.
A day in court would have been a good thing, but, like Waco, I guess justice wasn't on the agenda.