A Close Call on the Way to the War Zone

While some top Clinton administration officials (and even Hillary) may be pining for a photo op in the Balkan war zone, they will have to get their snapshots the hard way. When Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott flew in to the Macedonian capital of Skopje a few weeks ago in one of the Air Force's Lockheed C-130's, he got the ride of his life. The problem for potential future visitors: Talbott's plane was "painted," meaning that the Serbian military's antiaircraft system had got the plane in its target sight. Talbott's flight crew immediately began to swoop violently and dive the plane to make it harder to hit, tossing a few passengers about and causing at least one to start crossing himself furiously. The plane landed safely. But every U.S. official since then has taken the long road -- literally: a three-hour trip by armored car from Greece to Macedonia.