26 Sep The Definition of Gall
Bush at the United Nations today:
In Sudan, innocent civilians are suffering repression — and in the Darfur region, many are losing their lives to genocide. America has responded with tough sanctions against those responsible for the violence. We’ve provided more than $2 billion in humanitarian and peacekeeping aid. I look forward to attending a Security Council meeting that will focus on Darfur, chaired by the French President. I appreciate France’s leadership in helping to stabilize Sudan’s neighbors. And the United Nations must answer this challenge to conscience, and live up to its promise to promptly deploy peacekeeping forces to Darfur.
Bush conveniently failed to mention, of course, that the U.S. is currently $633 million in arrears to the U.N. for peacekeeping operations — and will be nearly $1.8 billion in arrears if his 2008 budget is approved by Congress.
Hat-Tip: Scott Paul at The Washington Note.
Not surprisingly, that wasn’t the only bit of hypocrisy that Bush engaged in yesterday. A few more gems from his appearance before the U.N.:
“In Belarus, North Korea, Syria and Iran, brutal regimes deny their people the fundamental rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration (of Human Rights).”
(This, notwithstanding the fact that Bush &Co. have been diligently chipping away not only at the rights of U.S. citizens, but also of non-citizens held under U.S. military custody on land controlled by the U.S. UDHR? I’m surprised he’s heard of it!)
Bush urged the U.N. to deploy peacekeeping forces to Darfur (despite his own opposition to involving the U.N. or, for that matter, most foreign nations, in his precious war, preferring instead to engage in acts of destruction and devastation unilaterally).
The Cuban delegation’s labeling of Bush’s speech as ‘arrogant’ was, in my opinion, rather accurate.
/rant.
Having seen Bush in person at the Security Council yesterday, I must say that, among the countries speaking, he spoke most forcefully and decisively about the need to take action about the slaughter in Darfur. For that he deserves great credit. Mr. Heller can hem and haw here, but Bush’s message was clear and understood above the usual diplomatic din. Now it is time to put words to action!
My hemming and hawing, of course, was directed specifically at the need for the U.S. to put words to action. Condemning the Sudan “forcefully and decisively” is great; actually paying for peacekeepers would be even better. Until the U.S. does, Bush deserves only a modicum of credit.
I was under the impression funding issues were not the cause of the delay with peacekeeping.