Sen. John Kerry is another presidential candidate who seems perfectly happy to subordinate U.S. interests to the United Nations. In his announcement speech, Kerry sounded more like a candidate for U.N. secretary-general than for president of the United States. Standing in South Carolina's "Patriot's Point," he explained that denying the United Nations a leadership role in rebuilding a country that American soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines liberated was a "miscalculation of colossal proportions." He demanded the Bush administration "return to the United Nations with genuine respect" and explained that when he voted to authorize war in Iraq, it was to "make Saddam Hussein comply with the resolutions of the United Nations." He didn't mention if U.S. security interests factored into his decision.
Dean and Kerry are just two Democrats among many who are looking for a wider U.N. role. Dick Gephardt claims the only way to "win the peace in Iraq" is to "have help" from the United Nations. Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle says bringing the United Nations into the equation has "been a long time in coming."
But the Democrats have it backward. The United Nations sought at every turn to obstruct and delegitimize any decisive strike against Saddam Hussein's regime. The United Nations is conditioning financial and personnel assistance to the Iraqi people upon how much power and authority it can amass in Iraq. Anywhere else, this would be political blackmail. At the United Nations, it's business-as-usual.
U.S. taxpayers pour billions of dollars each year into the U.N. coffers and in return get an endless stream of anti-American rhetoric and political posturing from U.N. bureaucrats and member nations that are virulently opposed to human rights, the rule of law and democracy. While U.S. forces have been toppling Saddam Hussein and rounding up remnants of his regime, the United Nations has placed Libya in charge of its Human Rights Commission.
Last month, the United Nations' Economic and Social Council retaliated against Reporters Without Borders because the group insisted on exposing human rights violations in Cuba. Among those who voted to silence Reporters Without Borders were -- surprise -- Cuba, Libya, China, Iran, Russia and Saudi Arabia.
The Aug. 19 terrorist attack on the United Nations's Baghdad headquarters, which killed 23 people, including top U.N. envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello, is instructive. Security was lax because U.N. officials believe, as "humanitarians," they are immune to terrorism. They put terrorist states on a par with peaceful democracies, refuse to condemn terrorism or terrorists, and as was evidenced by the corruption of the United Nations' Oil for Food Program, chose to work hand-in-glove with a repressive dictator to the detriment of the Iraqi people.
Yet the Democrats are insisting that America's national security and Iraq's future be placed in the hands of this craven and corrupt collection of global bureaucrats. They may yet get their wish. And when they do, we'll all live to regret it.