When I read Rosett and Russell’s latest exposé of the most recent UN scandal (The Yakovlev Affair) all I could think about is how deeply reactionary the Democratic Party has become. (Liberalism as we knew it no longer exists. What we have now are holographs of liberalism in the form of spectres like Chris Dodd and Joseph Biden. Nothing is really there.) What else explains - in the face of the sickening corruption pervading the United Nations - why these Dems continue to oppose the Bolton nomination? Don’t they want to see this international crime syndicate reformed? Or do they want it to remain a money sewer for petty despots and creepy Eurocrats? You would think they actually hated the United Nations and wanted it to fail, considering how they’re acting. Or maybe they’re just suffering from ADD and can’t follow the arguments. (That seems to be the case with Senator Kennedy.)
Or perhaps, as Wretchard puts it, it’s all just The Big Sleaze.
MEANWHILE: The perspicacious Ms. Rosett writes in Friday’s NY Sun:
A new window has opened into the U.N. oil-for-food scandal, with the release by congressional investigators of formerly secret U.S. documents chronicling some of the efforts by the American and British missions to the United Nations to stop corruption in the program over the indifference or even the active cooperation with Saddam Hussein’s regime of Security Council members France, Russia, and China, and the U.N. Secretariat itself.
Among congressional exhibits, aired at a hearing held Tuesday by the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, is a series of cables raising questions involving oil-for-food dealings by the United Nations Development Program, a U.N. agency administered at the time by Secretary-General Annan’s new chief of staff, Mark Malloch Brown. Mr. Malloch Brown, who has run the UNDP since 1999, and still does, took on the additional staff duties this past January. He replaced Mr. Annan’s longtime chief of staff, Iqbal Riza, one of whose final acts on the job was to spend more than seven months shredding U.N. documents from a crucial period. Mr. Riza has remained on staff with a salary of $1 a year, which allows him to retain his U.N. privileges and immunities.
At least when the Medici were this corrupt, they sponsored great art.
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30 Comments
1. Kevin P:Roger:
The UN and the idea of a unified world government is the Holy Grail of the left. It will solve all problems, it will end war, hunger,nationalism and all that the left deems unsuitable to modern man. The World Court, Kyoto, and the never ending stream of international law all depend on a functional and honest UN. If the UN is corrupt their dreams crash to the ground. They will not believe that their is no Holy Grail.
Jun 23, 2005 - 11:18 pm 2. ForNow:The UN as world socialist government is a common leftist dream, but the marxist ideology that seemed to give it the possibility of intellectual solidity has largely died. What remains? Favors, influence, political machines and cliques, all polished up as “noble.” I can’t remember who made this point, that leftist politics have in practical application little remaining but corruption. I think that the point was made in the context of Europe. “All polished up” — I don’t mean that nobody really believes in it. To the contrary. How “favors” happen — given to allies, friends, etc. — it feels right to many people. Then, writ large. The utopian dream keeps shining its light and making all that centralization seem like an opportunity. People involved in politics see plenty of bad things, so they figure, how much worse can the UN really be?–and, besides, once it becomes where the action is really at, smarter heads will take over. Or whatever.
Jun 24, 2005 - 12:48 am 3. Terrye:I think Biden and his friends just do not want anyone in there who will further enrage the good people of Turtle Bay.
They think the US needs them to get things done and that Bolton will be too confrontational. In fact I think t he UN will swallow him up and their efforts to stop his nominatiuon make them look like spoiled children.
As for the 90’s I remember reading somewhere in the run upto the war that the US and the UK were the only countries that had tried to deal with Saddam’s open flaunting of the resolutions in regards to both sanctions and human rights violations.
I know George Galloway and his compadres would disagree but they are part of the problem, the lying thieving hypocrites.
Sometimes I wonder if the UN had been more honest and more competent back then if we might could have avoided much of what came later.
Jun 24, 2005 - 3:26 am 4. ahem:Groucho Marx said it best:
I don’t know what they have to say,
it makes no difference anyway -
whatever it is, I’m against it!
No matter what it is or who commenced it,
I’m against it!
Your proposition may be good,
but let’s have one thing understood -
whatever it is, I’m against it!
And even when you’ve changed it or condensed it,
I’m against it!
“You’re a brave man. Go and break through the lines. And remember, while you’re out there risking your life and limb through shot and shell, we’ll be in here thinking what a sucker you are…”
Jun 24, 2005 - 6:00 am 5. PeterUK:I wwould disagree that this isn’t art,the whole UN edifice is the finest example of Trompe L’oeil I have seen.
Jun 24, 2005 - 6:37 am 6. Buddy Larsen:LOL–ever notice in Kubrick’s “2001″ that the alien object found buried on the Moon, that set off America’s (and her Liberal HAL) to the object’s source in the outer Solar System, had the exact dimensions of the building on Turtle Bay?
Jun 24, 2005 - 7:07 am 7. PeterUK:Buddy,
Yes but that represented intelligent life.
Jun 24, 2005 - 7:30 am 8. Buddy Larsen:So, two sons were “fixing” for the skims off two of the incoming streams–Oil/Food and the Real Estate, and Malloch Brown (whose son is he?) was “fixing” for the outgoing stream, and the only mess-up in the beautiful set-up was the damn SCOTUS decision not to let the Florida Organization “fix” the presidential election.
No wonder the DNC is so interested in maintaining control over the federal judiciary.
Jun 24, 2005 - 7:56 am 9. Buddy Larsen:So, in the brave new world, one is either a mobster or a right-wing religious fanatic. And the mobsters will be able to come right out in the open as soon as “crime” can be “redefined” so that it’s not technically illegal. The 90s were a great leap forward. Then, damn, Florida. “We wuz Robbed!”
Jun 24, 2005 - 8:02 am 10. PeterUK:Buddy,
It isn’t crime it is redistribution.
Jun 24, 2005 - 8:05 am 11. Buddy Larsen:Duck Soup!
Jun 24, 2005 - 8:10 am 12. Rick Ballard:Terrye,
I read the Dem current opposition as recognition that they are a nullity. They don’t have an agenda (other than opposition) and if they had one, they have no means of advancing it. I would also note that they are doing absolutely nothing to develop an agenda. They’ve farmed what passes for their “think tanks” out to the Tides Foundation and various SBL, Ltd. groups and they are getting recycled trash back.
When the AFL-CIO splits next month 40-50% of the very important union soft money will disappear. The independent unions will start cutting deals with the Reps (vide Hoffa Sr. - Nixon) and the Dems will sink deeper in thrall to SBL, Ltd.
The Malloch Brown/Soros relationship is just a tiny example of the web of connections that tie Power Corp’s Strong to SBL Ltd. and the various foundations such as Tides, Pew, Ford et al. It’s going to take a very long time and some significant changes to current law involving charitable trusts to unravel this ball of yarn. A big problem with advancing the story is that its complexity makes it seem boring. It’s very much like fighting termites. By the time you notice them, a great deal of damage has been done.
Jun 24, 2005 - 8:23 am 13. Buddy Larsen:Rick, that’s the same point Peggy Noonan made (a couple days ago on the WSJ site) wrt to the publishing industry grown up around Hillary. That the story is simply beyond ordinary human experience, and thus more comfortably ignored than thought-through. Instapundit has a quote, that all organizations are eventually taken over by those who stay awake in committee. Meaning–those who write the fine-print.
Jun 24, 2005 - 8:53 am 14. PeterUK:Rick,
It will start getting intersting when the stiffs start turning up,so far it is only the auntie down the lift shaft,which would have been enough in Agatha Christie’s time,what is needed is a modern thriller writer to spice things up…
Jun 24, 2005 - 9:11 am 15. Rick Ballard:Peter,
No stiffs. No one is in any danger of going to jail because no laws (barring those of decency) have been broken. No fines can be levied, no time will be served and I believe that it is very questionable as to whether even minor changes will be made regarding transparency.
Some flunkies will lose jobs and Annan will be viewed as a disgrace by some and a “champion” by others. Strong will continue to run Canada through his sock puppet, Martin. Total/Fina/Elf will continue to run Chirac (and France) via Desmarais and Paribas will continue to chaneel funds as directed.
There is no centralized power on earth that can change that which is necessary to be changed. Perhaps, if the citizens of Canada and France could be stirred from their fixation on “free” services some changes might occurr but I believe it very unlikely. The proper proportion of bread and circuses have been provided in both countries and the serfs collar does not appear to burden either citizenry.
Japan and the US are the only hope for substantive reform of the UN and within the US the opposition party has peddled their sorry asses like two dollar whores to the Strong wannabes of SBL, Ltd. Chairmen Coleman and Hyde have a very tough row to hoe before them. Coleman, in particular, will find it difficult to work with Levin plunging more knives in his back at every opportunity. Hyde’s proposed legislation reducing US dues by half will not be enough, even if our beknighted senators don’t weaken even that in conference.
Japan must come to the party, and soon.
Jun 24, 2005 - 9:41 am 16. Kyda Sylvester:(Liberalism as we knew it no longer exists. What we have now are holographs of liberalism in the form of spectres like Chris Dodd and Joseph Biden. Nothing is really there.) Fabulous imagery.
Indeed, I might, might, forgive even Teddy if the Kennedy legacy included something along the lines of, say, Florence. I’ll bet I spent at least 45 precious Louvre minutes absorbing the massive, magnificant Rubens Medici Cycle canvases. Marie de Medici’s commission of these paintings was a total ego trip, but regard the treasures that ego wrought. And compare it to the detritus that follows in Teddy’s wake.
Jun 24, 2005 - 10:39 am 17. PeterUK:Kyda,
That is most unkind to Senator Lifeguard,he is a great art lover,he has a fullsize copy of the Sistine Chapel ceiling tattooed on his gut.Open to the public Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Jun 24, 2005 - 11:20 am 18. PeterUK:Rick,
That is why I have always said that they should follow the money.It will be the backhanders that will have contravened the tax laws,it worked on Capone.
Jun 24, 2005 - 11:22 am 19. JohnH:The UN is the new Evil Empire. The USSR didn’t die, it just entered a new host.
We need Ronald Reagan to stand in UN Plaza and shout “Mr. Annan, tear down this building!”
Jun 24, 2005 - 12:00 pm 20. Knucklehead:OT, other than that its about Dems, but Glenn Reynolds has a ton on the Rove-a-Dope (not his tag but I’m too lazy to give proper attribution).
Jun 24, 2005 - 2:12 pm 21. richard mcenroe:These caricatures are not holograms of liberalism: they are flat, jerky, and totally unconvincing Hanna-Barbera (Hell, Filmation!) knock-offs of the genuine article.
Jun 24, 2005 - 5:28 pm 22. PJ:Okay, Buddy, explain the reference to Florida in Wretchard’s article. It’s been a looong week and I’m too tired to look it up!
(The Media ignore the OFF scandal because it’s one of their kind in trouble!)
Jun 24, 2005 - 7:55 pm 23. Kyda Sylvester:Well, that’s nice imagery, too, Richard. And mean. I like mean.
My tour of the reaction to the eeeevil Karl Rove’s remarks was the most laughs I’ve had in days. Does commenter Tim Oren at Winds of Change nail it? And Kathryn Lopez has a hilarious letter from John Kerry at the Corner (you’ll have to scroll down–sorry but I don’t know how to do that).
Jun 24, 2005 - 7:57 pm 24. Buddy Larsen:Yeh–Filmation, that IS mean–and true.
PJ, maybe I’m simple, but what could it be other than the big chad battle–and that a new regime was coming in, one powerful enough to wrest a tie game away from the old regime, that had been consolidating for eight years, and protecting the big global scams? So the OFF players had no choice but to begin discovering a little gambling in the back room, and be shocked, shocked. Right?
hafta go catch that Kerry letter–that guy invented bufoonery. Simon Legree gone pathetic.
Jun 24, 2005 - 9:19 pm 25. Rick Ballard:Kyda,
Clicking on the time at the bottom of a post at the Corner will turn it into a permalink. At WoC clicking on the comment number does the same thing.
Btw, I learn these things through a very rigourous application of scientific principles which is best summed up by the phrase “Gee, I wonder what will happen if I click this.
While this scientific principle has proven useful in determing the utility of the “F” keys I have found it to be rather troublesome when applied to RED buttons.
Jun 25, 2005 - 8:12 am 26. Buddy Larsen:“rigourous”…Rick, you gotta quit hanging around with that Peter UK feller.
Jun 25, 2005 - 8:42 am 27. Rick Ballard:Buddy,
I have come to appreciate the colour and vigour of Mr UK’s remarks. I am undertaking a specialisation in certain aspects of his style of communication.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Jun 25, 2005 - 9:34 am 28. Buddy Larsen:Well, the least I can do, then, is to humour you. I can always translate by chequing the dictionary.
Jun 25, 2005 - 9:43 am 29. Akatsukami:I think that, rather than ADD, Kennedy is showing symptoms of Korsakov’s Syndrome.
Jun 26, 2005 - 7:16 am 30. Buddy Larsen:Dementia is the nicest thing you can say about him, Akatsukami. The other explanation is he is simply doing his godfather thing at the head of a gangster faction that has infiltrated the US Government as well as the top echelons of the UN.
Jun 26, 2005 - 9:13 am