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09/20/2003 Archived Entry: "Ooh, he's gonna 'challenge' them..."
Ooh, he's gonna 'challenge' them...
I fear Bush truly does not get it. He still thinks that he's in a position to make demands of the world.
Unbowed by arguments with allies, President Bush will challenge the United Nations with a call to action for money and troops in Iraq and Afghanistan despite lingering differences and a reluctance by many countries to make major contributions.Bush, addressing the General Assembly on Tuesday, will argue -- just as he did last year -- that the United Nations needs to meet its global responsibilities or risk being irrelevant.
With rising U.S. casualties and high costs already causing problems for Bush, American taxpayers could face a bill, if other countries refuse to help, that is even larger than the $87 billion the White House has requested.
Bush will make the case that an institution such as the United Nations has to show it is ``actually capable of acting, and really willing to act, and not just debating,'' said Condoleezza Rice, his national security adviser.
But Bush should not expect U.N. members to bend easily, analysts said.
After a year of acrimony over Iraq and opposition to the U.S.-led war, the mood in the United Nations and among allies ``is about as foul and bad as it's ever been,'' said Ivo Daalder, a Brookings Institution analyst and co-author of a book on Bush's foreign policy.
He said Bush's tone toward the rest of the world has been ``we're right, and it is your duty and your responsibility to join us on our journey.''
``If that's the attitude, he's going to get the door slammed in his face,'' Daalder said. ``Because no one regards it to be their duty or responsibility to clean up the mess that many people think has been created by the way we have handled the postwar period.''
I get the feeling the UN is going to tell Bush to go piss up a rope on Tuesday.
Replies: 4 people speak up
Because, you know, clearly he hasn't made his position clear up to this point.
He's used up his go to war free card. What's he going to threaten them with - not being a market for their products? Bitch our manufacturing is gone.
Posted by julia @ 09/21/2003 06:59 AM NY
"I fear Bush truly does not get it". Bush doesn't get it? Of course he doesn't get it. He probably won't even see the speech until 15 minutes before he scheduled to get it. Worse yet, he doesn't even care. He is President because his daddy's friends were able to steal the office for him. He ran for President because his daddy's friends told him to, same with governer of TX before that. The man's whole life has been about doing what daddy's friends say. Why do
Posted by james @ 09/21/2003 12:44 PM NY
I hope the door gets slammed in our faces. Maybe then, after more and more billions disappear into that gaping maw that is Iraq and Afghanistan, and more kids come home in boxes, will Americans wake up from their apathy.
Posted by Yasmin @ 09/21/2003 02:23 PM NY
Just throwing out this thought..trying to figure out the motive for this UN approach. I mean Bushco has to realize just how ridiculous this appears and possibly even the end result which will more than likely be zilch in terms of UN money and/or troops. So what is it that Bushco really wants to prove using this approach? Couple of thoughts.
Will this allow Bushco to never admit they were wrong even if UN rejects them? Hey we tried the UN but they said no soo, poor, poor US. See we said the UN was a worthless agency and we were right.
This will also allow them to say the international community is irresponsible. Will this rejection allow the neocons what they really want which is full control over Iraq until the US deems it is worthy be handed over to the Iraqi's of their choice while still saying we tried to internationalize it through the UN? Will this rejection then allow Shrub to say we need a military draft???? Again I don't know the true motives behind Shrubco or the answers to any of these possible end results. However, it is always interesting to try and analyze and speculate what it is they really want to do by going back to the UN in this manner at this time. I mean it seems so obvious they are headed for failure with this approach, but perhaps that is what they want anyway in order to fulfill their true motives and goals, whatever they might be I really don't quite know.
Posted by couldntresist @ 09/21/2003 06:46 PM NY
