Iran’s refusal to stop
attempting to produce weapons-grade nuclear fuels has a
direct link to the Darlings of the Left: Harry Belafonte
and Cindy Sheehan.
The IAEA (International
Atomic Energy Agency) – is the nuclear watchdog for the
United Nations. Over the weekend, the IAEA adopted a
resolution referring Iran’s nuclear malfeasance to the
United Nations, which may be the global equivalent of being
tossed out of study hall for chewing gum, but still; it’s
something.
Who knows whether the United
Nations will actually do anything to or about Iran. But,
among the people I depend upon to keep track of these
things – the French – this appears to be a pretty
significant event.
Let us, for the purposes of
this discussion, agree with the French. Hauling the
Iranians’ collective butts before the UN Security Council
is a big deal. If nothing else it is a big deal
because of the 35 members of the IAEA, 27 of them voted
with the US to do it.
Five countries - South
Africa, Belarus, Algeria, Indonesia and Libya abstained
from voting – which makes us wonder why we’re paying their
per diems and air fares for these meetings.
But three countries – Syria,
Cuba, and Venezuela – voted against the resolution.
All right: Syria. They need
Iran to continue to be the world’s goofballs because that
keeps them off the international diplomatic radar screen.
Cuba. Who knows? Maybe they
believe Iran will produce nuclear-powered cigars.
SIDEBAR
I was walking down L Street in Your Nation’s Capital
the other day and saw a sign in a window for “Pre-Embargo”
Cuban Cigars.
The first embargo goes all the way back to 1961.
The most recent renewal was in 1990.
Assuming the cigars in question are pre-1990; don’t
cigars have a “sell-by” date? If so, is it more than 16
years after manufacture?
END SIDEBAR
The third country, Venezuela,
is interesting because its president, Hugo Chávez is
virulently anti-American and so, has emerged as a hero of
the international Left.
Harry Belafonte, who should
be nobody’s hero, appeared with Chávez at a rally recently
when he called President Bush “the greatest terrorist in
the world.”
The Human Billboard, Cindy
Sheehan, recently made a big splash at the World Socialist
Forum in Caracas, Venezuela where, according to the
Peoples’ Weekly website, “Chávez called attention to the
presence of Cindy Sheehan on the speakers platform.”
The only reason for a country
like Venezuela to vote with Iran is because of the
oft-quoted saying: “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”
Here’s the syllogism: Chávez
is a self-proclaimed enemy of the United States. Iran is
an enemy of the United States. Ergo, Chavez is a friend of
Iran.
Once again, my Liberal Arts
education from Marietta College pays huge dividends.
While the Post and the Times
both ran the story and the names of the countries who
supported Iran on their front pages, the Times described
the vote thus:
“The vote in Vienna was promoted as a significant
victory for the Bush administration …”
With no explanation as to who was doing the “promoting.”
The Post was a bit more
positive saying the vote had “handed the United States and
European countries a diplomatic victory.”
We should all watch with
interest public figures in the US who continue to praise
Hugo Chávez. The opposite of that old “enemy of my enemy”
thing is also true: The friend of my enemy is … my enemy.
The resolution referring Iran
to the Security Council ends by saying the IAEA Board of
Governors will “remain seized of the matter.”
the next time you hear
someone praising Cindy Sheehan or Harry Belafonte you
should, too, “remain seized of the matter.”
On a the Secret Decoder
Ring page today: A link to the unreadable
resolution this is all about; a link to the Cuban embargo
timeline; last year’s Superbowl Sunday Mullfoto; and a
Catchy Caption of the Day reflecting the dreadful halftime
show from last night.
Notebook