HA, you must have among other things this sort of UN-involved election-influencing “October Surprise” conspiracy in the back of your mind

Yup. And Let’s not forget the “September Surprise” either:

Then Kerry was asked about Kofi Annan’s description of the war in Iraq as an “illegal” invasion. Kerry answered: “I don’t know what the law, the legalities are that he’s referring to. I don’t know.” So the U.S. government is accused of breaking international law, and Kerry chooses not to defend his country against the charge, or to label it ridiculous or offensive. He is agnostic.

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/004/672upfks.asp

Kofi Annan?s ill-timed comments should be seen as a poorly conceived attempt to undercut the U.S. President?s impending address to the U.N. General Assembly and to indirectly influence the electoral debate in the United States. The notion of U.S. isolation, a prominent theme advanced by Senator John Kerry, is a myth that Annan is keen to promote on the world stage.

http://www.heritage.org/Research/InternationalOrganizations/wm567.cfm

http://www.ipsnews.net/new_nota.asp?idnews=28493

The link is to a story from the Inter Press Service News Agency, and it is riotously, deliciously biased. In essence, it blames the draining of the marsh on a)the “U.S.-led coalition” that waged the first Gulf War; b) the British, who in the 1950s drew up the plans to drain the marshlands that Hussein used. c) Shi’ite rebels and deserters from Hussein’s army, who used the marshlands as a hideout, forcing Hussein’s hand. I mean, what’s a poor dictator to do?

Who gets the credit for the restoration? According to this article, the U.S. did invade in March 2003 and “breached” the dykes, causing reflooding of about 20 percent of the area. The way the writer puts it, it sounds like a fortuitous accident, collateral damage that had an unanticipated positive effect.

The credit then is firmly given to the UN Ministry of Water Resources. What did they do? They had a meeting about it!

The story also notes that the United Nations Environmental Project was “the first” to alert the world to the drainage disaster via satellite images (whose satellites?). Now, they are “playing an active role in capacity building and promoting sustainable development in the area.”

But, isn’t the bottom line the fact that, despite UNEP’s satellite images and its warnings to the world, the UN opposed the US-led invasion?

The story does give some credit to U.S.-based nonprofits, the Iraq Foundation and the Eden Again Project. But no love for the U.S. military, without which the marshlands would be nowhere nearer to restoration today, and all credit to the UN, which didn’t want the Marsh Arabs to get any help from anyone.

It might be fun to jump to all the links on the UN Dispatch site and scan all the stories. Maybe Daou’s right. Maybe attention should be paid to what the UN says they’re doing to save the world.

Oh my word… Roger, Hans Blix isn’t pacing on your front lawn, is he?

If so, pronounce his last name “Brix” while talking to him, and see what response you get.

Your position of hostility towards the UN saddens your fraternal brothers across the world. Truly comrade, do you not see the good intentions of the United Nations? Indeed, are you against the very of idea of “Nations” “United” in their march towards international fraternity? Yessss, there Maaaay be frequently occurring isolated multiple incidents of “misguided” , um, illegal and/or exploitative behavior. But the UN is not expressing Imperialism like the US! It is, merely, sometimes showing structural incompetency in working towards its noble mission of self perpetuation. [Wait, did I say that last part out loud?]

Please forward appropriate evidence of contrition to the United Nations for your trangression of thought crime. Why must you hate the UN for its trying to do “good”?

“Now you fellas have said some pretty mean things. Some of which were true, under that fiend Boss Grissom. He was a thief, and a terrorist. On the other hand he had a tremendous singing voice.”

And the U.N. may be corrupt and wicked, but they have a tremendous singing voice…