'Only by running from who we are will we win a popularity contest at the U.N. It is a competition we shouldn’t have entered'... (updated)

Anne Bayefsky is on target with her comments on a not-so-typical Opening Day at the U.N.

... The real surprise of the day, however, was President George W. Bush. Last year at this time the president issued a list of reforms he expected from the U.N. in the near future: a new human-rights body which didn’t count abusers among its members, a comprehensive treaty against terrorism, meaningful institutional reforms in the area of oversight, accountability, efficiency. Not one of those demands has been met, but instead of issuing a failing grade, the president said nothing at all about U.N. reform. On Iran, the most he could muster was “Iran must abandon its nuclear-weapons ambitions.” No talk of sanctions. No mention of consequences for Iran’s obvious refusal to abandon those ambitions. On Hamas he said “the world is waiting to see whether the Hamas government will…pursue an extremist agenda.” Waiting to see? Just how many rocket attacks, kidnappings, speeches inciting racial hatred and violence, or murders does it take be an extremist? And on the Palestinian-Israeli front he said “the Palestinian people have suffered from…the daily humiliation of occupation” — the exact language of…yes, Kofi Annan.

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Not one of those demands has been met,
but instead of issuing a failing grade,
the president said nothing
at all about U.N. reform.

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No doubt, given the hostility of the U.N. forum toward America, nothing but obsequious babble from an American president would be well-received. Which is exactly the real and present danger of the U.N. — only by running from who we are will we win a popularity contest at the U.N. It is a competition we shouldn’t have entered.

The U.N. is corrupt, anti-America/Israel, pro-Communist, feckless, seemingly un-reformable, dictator-driven, and made up of members and administrators that are only interested in maintaining their individual power and status-quo. The U.N . is not about right and wrong... it's a bought and sold failure, and should be identified as such.

Previous: Good riddance Kofi

Update: It's time for America to leave the UN:

... Yes, we're stuck in Iraq and we can't abandon our troops. But when we've finally reached the point that a room full of international freeloaders are applauding wildly as our president is called the Devil and our demise is predicted, then it's time to seriously reassess whom we want to deal with, in what manner and in what international forum.

Be assured that after this week's antics in New York, more and more Americans will come to believe that expensive, do-nothing diplomatic assemblies such as the United Nations are something we can live without.

Especially as we're now giving the UN $5B+ a year!!!

Update #2: Who and What Does the UN Represent?

The bottom line is that until the UN changes its mandate, from being a forum of the least common denominator to an organization with a rudimentary sense of right and wrong, its agencies will reflect the depravity of the organization. UN agencies like UNIFIL will not prevent future conflict and will actually instigate it unless it is clear that they must to stop terrorists from attacking Israel and unless they are given the means to prevent provocations. Otherwise, any premature ceasefire which will allow Hezbollah to survive with much of its arsenal intact will invite a replay of recent events only with greater human suffering.

Peace in our time.