[libstripper]

What I really can't understand is the absolutely irrational idea that the U.S. could gain anything worthwhile by deliberately poking a stick into Russia's eye over this Kosovo thing when the Russians are entirely reasonable in not wanting an Islamofascist pustule in the middle of eastern Europe and when they have always regarded this kind of thing as a direct threat to their national security. Although they don't have much in the way of viable military options in this situation, they have a host of very nasty non-military options, like, for example, encouraging North Korean and Iranian nuclear ambitions. Our Kosovo policy was (Clinton) and is (Bush) pure madness.

[jhpigott]

i guess the thought is we enlist the support of moderate Islamic/Muslim states in return for our recognition of Kosovo.

As you say, irrational, but then again Clinton and Bush weren’t/aren’t always rational