Reno kept on trying; the Elian case has become something of a personal crusade. Friends say she sees the dilemma as a need to do the right thing in a crisis. Reno is haunted by the way she handled one of her first challenges, the 1993 standoff in Waco, Texas. Her decision to fire tear gas on the Branch Davidian compound, which culminated in a shootout and fire that killed 80 people, deeply shook her. “She lives Waco,” says an official who knows her well. She blamed herself for relying too much on the advice of aides. This time, she pledges to make the call herself.
In recent weeks, the attorney general has devoted much of her time to the crisis. She has phoned Elian ’s relatives and vocal Miami activists, even taking a call from singer Gloria Estefan, who rallied with the crowd outside Elian ’s Miami house. “This is vintage Reno–a belief beyond reason that one more conversation will resolve everything,” says a former Justice official who worked closely with her. “She says, ‘Let’s all just talk together one more time’.”
Reno aides remind reporters of the government’s standoff with the Freemen militia in 1996. Unlike in Waco, the Feds waited the Freemen out, and the conflict ended peacefully. Reno refused to say how much longer she will wait, but there were signs her boss was getting impatient. When she spoke with President Clinton for about 20 minutes last Friday, he thanked Reno for her involvement, but sought assurances the conflict would not go on much longer. Marshals are monitoring the Miami house, looking for patterns of when the crowd of protesters thins–a possible opportunity to grab up the boy with the least amount of tumult. It’s not the ending Reno wanted. But with her credibility on the line, it’s one she may have to live with.
