Diplomats avoid talk of ground troops.
As President Clinton urges NATO to go to the brink of conflict with Yugoslavia, some senior U.S. military officers are quietly warning that the alliance's plan for an air campaign is fraught with dangerous consequences because it lacks clear long-term objectives. U.S. military officers and independent observers say any attack must take into account the use of ground forces in case the situation in the secessionist Yugoslav province of Kosovo deteriorates. But U.S. diplomats at NATO are blocking discussion of ground troops for fear of another Bosnia-like occupation, according to military officials. As a result, these officials believe NATO is engaged in a daring diplomatic bluff or is unwisely stumbling into a half-baked military operation. Milosevic to the table.