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I basically agree with your analysis okie. I too was dismayed by the attack against Serbia and felt that the motives were primarily political. I'm open to the suggestion, however, that there may have been a confluence of factors (which is often the case) such that clinton's political needs dovetailed nicely with other, geopolitical needs that may be harder to ferret out. Oil pipeline politics? Internal NATO politics? The interests of Bob Dole who had ethnic ties and had been pushing for the Kosovo cause for a fairly long time? Tony Blair was a passionate advocate for the Serbian war. Sure, Blair's a lefie, but it was not his ox being gored by impeachment. What was in it for him?

But, basically I agreed with your case at the time and still do. Look at all the lefties and dems in congress who are now so vehemently anti-war (Daschle, Biden, others) who were pounding the table and wanting to bomb Serbia back to the stoneage.

It sure was a strange, almost parallel universe time. The bombing of the Chinese embassy, and the excuse that it was due to old maps (when you could go to yahoo or mapsquest and see the embassy in its present location) was one of the weirdest episodes of the whole affair. You can never go wrong saying this, but I do think there is much we don't know about it all! I do know that the impeachment evidence that was in the Ford building is still under lock and key. Another weird episode was Bush 41's speech to 100 Senators in Executive Session, behind closed doors, asking them to spare clinton's sorry ass.

Nice post.

"Oil pipeline politics?"

Usually, so-called "oil pipeline politics" are resolved by identifying the politicians one must buy-off -- and doing a deal. There's no need to call out the cavalry when these matters can be handled, er, more quietly. The Kosovo War was an unnecessary venture, in these terms. Indeed, where is the pipeline that was to result?

"Internal NATO politics?"

There is something to this. NATO's panties were in a wad and there seems to have been a Euro-need to flex NATO's muscles, just to prove it was still relevant in the absence of a Cold War. I sense those who were pushing the venture in NATO, though, got somewhat more than they intended...

"The interests of Bob Dole who had ethnic ties and had been pushing for the Kosovo cause for a fairly long time?"

Dole certainly was in favor of action in Kosovo, having been bought and paid for by the Albania lobby some time past. But don't you rather doubt that the action would've been taken simply as a favor to Bob Dole?

"Tony Blair was a passionate advocate for the Serbian war. Sure, Blair's a lefie, but it was not his ox being gored by impeachment. What was in it for him?"

O.K. Now, you've got me. Though a lefty, I've always given Blair credit for some intelligence. I somehow can't believe that his kindred spirit, Bill, led him along by the nose. And Tony did seem to be a prime mover in all this, not necessarily "Bill's Man at NATO".

"Another weird episode was Bush 41's speech to 100 Senators in Executive Session, behind closed doors, asking them to spare clinton's sorry ass."

WHOA! News to me. I was aware that all 100 Senators met in Executive Session in the Old Senate Chamber prior to the impeachment. But I never heard a whisper that they were addressed by Bush 41. Until now. Are you certain of this?

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An altogether meaty, thought-provoking post a tthe head of the thread. It has inspired serious responses and what they call "a broad exchange of views".