President Bush today announced that with UN sanctions still in place that they could not legally sell Iraqi oil, and as a result it would be refined and given away at American gas stations. Customers would be asked to donate canned food in a food for oil program.

Bush later said that unless France and Russia drop their objections to removing sanctions soon, the US would have to, for humanitarian reasons, annex Iraq thus voiding all UN resolutions regarding Iraq.

Isn't it frigging amazing that three months ago France, russia and germany wanted to lift the sanctions on Iraq to 'help the Iraqi people" but now they are balking at lifting the sanctions? If France truly wanted to mend fences with the US don't you think they would stop being obstructionists at this point. I am really interested to hear frenchman's take on this turn of events.

Could Frenchman have really been Al Douri?? Hmm.

Another case of "whatever the U.S. wants, we're against" from our noble allies in Europe.
They are trying to use the situation to convince the world that they are not irrelevant, and it is only demonstrating how insignificant they really are.
The U.S. is the most feared, loved, respected, and envied nation in the world and "old Europe" just can't stand the fact that every developing nation looks to us, and not them.

I think we should follow Robin Williams' plan.
We pull ALL of our troops back, and station them at the borders. No more sneaking across. All illegal aliens have 90 days to leave voluntarily, then we start arresting and deporting. No immigrants or visitors from countries on the terrorist watch list. No student visas unless they are in class full time. We drill in Alaska, the caribou can just cope. Until we are self-sufficient in energy, we offer the Arabs $10 per barrel, take it or leave it. We shift our economy as quickly as possible to purely internal trade. Cut back imports and exports as much as possible. Natural disasters? Famines? Too bad. We take the torch out of the Statue of Liberty's hand and replace it with a Louisville Slugger. The "give me your tired, your hungry...." gets changed to "You want a piece of me?!"

U.N. Sucretary-Genital Goofi Anus, stated today, "Mr. Bush and the Coalition have been ignoring MY POWER, so as a last resort, I am going to play the race card, here goes, ------It's because I'm black, isn't it?"

Abu Dabi,

You may be joking, but that's exactly what Mandela thought. He's stated publicly a few times before that Bush and Cheney were ignoring the UN because Annan was black.

"desperite to restore legitmacy?" Mr. Annan...we just got done doing that. That's one big problem with the U.N., it seems that so much time and energy is spent (as Gov mel brooks said in blazing saddles) 'protecting our phone baloney jobs'......If one makes a mistake, is it not best and most genuine to admit it. It seems to me that track would be the best way for the U.N. to gain any credibility, not more 'phoney baloney' demands for resolutions where they don't apply. How about this Mr Annan....."After realizing the regieme was bad for the world and especially the Iraqi people and as a collective group we, the U.N. resolve not to let mass murdering dictators direct our course of actions in the future. Let us all thank the U.S.A. for taking point on, and finally putting resolution 1441 into effect Let us, as an organisation, realize and promote peace and communication on this planet and not permit these travesties to go on for decades in the future, let's get to work."....just a thought.

Three months ago, France, Germany, and Russia were
in a position to benefit the most from removal of
the sanctions. After all, it would legitimize all
of the trading they've been doing under the table
with the Iraqi government. Additionally, they were
in position to capitalize on the contacts that
they already had in place.

Fast forward to today. If sanctions were removed
they would lose all of the inroads they made and
largely US companies would reap the windfall of
opening the borders of Iraq to trade. At least
with the Food for Oil program in place they still
get a little tidbit of wealth from Iraq, without
the program they would be cut out.

Or maybe they have decided the new regime in Iraq
is more oppressive than the old?

Just my opinion

I agree - to see what's behind all the rhetoric, just ask, "cui bono" (for whose benefit?). Annan wants the US to come crawling back to beg for the UN's retroactive blessing (which will be denied, after suitable humiliation). France and Germany benefit from delay so they can try to make good on their oil-for-food contracts. It is not the US that's desperate for legitimacy - it is the UN.

All that's missing in this proposal is the giant banana peel behind the US podium.

Go to Herobuilders.com and get your own Talking Bagdad Bob! That's right, kids. Your very own talking Iraqi Misinformation Minister action figure. Comes complete with camo fatigues and black beret.

U.S. shouldn't let other nations/U.N. know what we find when looking for evidence of WMD. If looking to convince people of the justification of going to war, all we should do is beat the material-breach-of-1441 drum. As others have already pointed out - there are nations that will accuse us of planting WMD evidence anyways. The Arab street will not be convinced we didn't plant it - so lets just keep the information to ourselves.

By keeping our findings to ourselves, we'll be able to make other countries squirm as to how much we know about their complicity in arming Iraq. France, Germany and Russia are desperate to get into Iraq to ensure they know what we know about their participation. Let them squirm.

When we finally do find WMD, we should make a statement as follows - "The U.S. has found WMD in Iraq. We are convinced of its authenticity. However, since another government clearly aided Iraq in their effort to conceal their WMD programs, we regret that we are not going to make the details of our finding public. We await the complicit government's full and public acknowledgement of their dealings in violation of U.N. resolutions."

- Bergwon

I consider myself somewhat intelligent. I am able to chew gum, walk and listen to my walkman-all at the same time. For the life of me, I can not figure out France and Russia's problem. Maybe high-school dropout Cher could explain it to me.

OT: Hey Darth, my son is a black belt in Shorin Ru, will plan to hook up in May. If there is a place you want to eat at let me know and can make reservations.

Danjo
Unfortunately only has athletic ability of a fast slug

The sad thing is, these "false news" stories begin to sound more and more like real ones each day. Have I stepped into an alternate parallel universe or something? Why does the UN/EU diplomacy cadre resemble a bad sitom?

You bet Danjo. The tournament is at the convention center and I am staying at the Marriot Spinghill Suites beginning the 21st, with y 16 year ol. Wife and 10 year old due in friday with my oldest son's best friend from Texas. My competition is either thursday or friday-I'll have to check. I'll send more info later.

Bergwon!

I vote Oui Oui to your make em' squirm idea!
The "non's" and friends of the UN...but NOT the U.S....may be the first to begin to profusely self medicate!

Biggest problem is the media "ho's" thinking they need to know ALL....so they can spin and twist it before they feed it to the public.

Darth! Danjo! Ahh the tragedy that I moved away from Louisiana just a few months ago. But duty calls...

However, all my old (and new) friends are humbly invited to a special anniversary patriotic reception at the Mudville Gazette tonight. No RSVP required. Click above or my name and see you there.

My humble tribute to Americans everywhere.

Spanner in the works time.

Now the Iraqis are free they can elect any kind of government they want, not necesarily a western style free democracy. They may well vote themselves into a theocratic dictatorship like the Taliban. The US and UK have said repeatedly that the Iraqis are free to do so, are we going to stick to our word no matter what results? We could have kicked out a major terrorist threat only to replace it with a worse problem.

The UN has made itself irelevant, not that it was taken seriously in the first place by anyone except the USA and UK (unless it suited them). However are we going to replace it with an organisation which does command respect and if so how? A US led military police force? I suspect we will be right behind you in the UK along with a few others but nobody else is going to like it.

Would anybody be able to do Kofi Anans job with any success given the ludicrous set up at the UN. I quite admire Kofi for his ability to get nothing done with some style. If there is (sorry was) a worse job on the planet I would be very surprised. My solution er ??????????? Johnny Walker I think.

re: The US and UK have said repeatedly that the Iraqis are free to do so (elect a theocratic dictatorship like the Taliban) are we going to stick to our word no matter what results?

I think we have to. If the new government does something really heinous, we'll be in no worse position than if Saddam had done it - the response would be the same. Hopefully after 39 years of Saddam they will have more sense. That's why it's so important to lift the sanctions - the more isolated (and impoverished) they are, the easier it will be for extremists to take hold.

Annan does have the world's WORST job, and I would feel sorrier for him if he were less disingenuous. The UN is essentially a legislative body with no power to make actual law and no enforcement arm (and no law is worth the paper it's written on without the threat of enforcement).

All the same, my husband didn't join the Marine Corps to fight for the UN. The thought of the likes of France and Germany voting US and UK*** forces (the only ones willing to stand behind their principles) into action while they lounge around in their Birkenstocks drinking espresso and calling us cowboys is too much for even me to stomach...

***shouldn't have left out Australia and Poland

...maybe we should send a humanitarian aid package to the UN security council - perhaps after a case or so of Johnny Walker, we might see some sensible decisions (or they might locate their missing cojones)

Cassandra, IMHO if the UN had any power and the right to enforce its will we would be in a far worse position now. I think the UN has done precisely what it was supposed to do for 50 years. Nothing useful :) In my RAF I ended up serving the UN in various hell holes under commanders that I would not have spit on let alone fought for. I signed on the dotted line like your husband and had no choice. Mostly these tours were a pointless waste of time and money, I will not be sorry to see the UN vanish.

The United States gives out $13.3 billion tax dollars in direct Foreign Aid annually. The United States is above and beyond the single most generous benefactor of the United Nations, donating $2.4 billion dollars of YOUR money, to primarily third-world dictators.

This amount is 25% of the United Nations budget. In addition, the United States also gives another $1.4 billion tax dollars to United Nations' programs and agencies. The American taxpayers fund more for the United Nations than ALL of the other 177 member nations COMBINED.

What most Americans do not realize is that the vast majority of the recipients of the of US Foreign Aid routinely vote against the wishes of the United States in the United Nations at an average rate of 74%. I n other words, of the $13.3 billion tax dollars invested in direct Foreign Aid only about 26% or $3.5 billion went to support people who endorsed American initiatives or causes. A staggering $9.8 billion tax dollars went to causes and people who were and are in open and direct opposition to the United States' interests and objectives.

Listed below are the actual voting records of various Arabic/Islamic States which are recorded in both the US State Department and United Nations' records:

Kuwait votes against the United States 67% of the time.
Qatar votes against the United States 67% of the time.
Morocco votes against the United States 70% of the time.
United Arab Emirates votes against the U. S. 70% of the time.
Jordan votes against the United States 71% of the time.
Tunisia votes against the United States 71% of the time.
Saudi Arabia votes against the United States 73% of the time.
Yemen votes against the United States 74% of the time.
Algeria votes against the United States 74% of the time.
Oman votes against the United States 74% of the time.
Sudan votes against the United States 75% of the time.
Pakistan votes against the United States 75% of the time.
Libya votes against the United States 76% of the time.
Egypt votes against the United States 79% of the time.
Lebanon votes against the United States 80% of the time.
India votes against the United States 81% of the time.
Syria votes against the United States 84% of the time.
Mauritania votes against the United States 87% of the time.

US Foreign Aid to those that hate us:

Egypt, for example, after voting 79% of the time against the United States , still receives $2 billion annually in US Foreign Aid.

Jordan votes 71% against the United States and receives $192,814,000 annually in US Foreign Aid.

Pakistan votes 75% against the United States receives $6,721,000 annually in US Foreign Aid.

India votes 81% against the United States receives $143,699,000 annually in US Foreign Aid.

Perhaps it is time to get out of the UN and give the tax savings back to the American workers who are having to skimp and
sacrifice to pay the taxes.

If you agree, send these facts to all your representatives and friends.

Joe you left out the Democratic Party...

Jonah:

I agree with you - I didn't express myself very well. The only thing more frightening than an impotent UN is one with power. The point I was trying to make was that this business of making resolutions that can't be enforced points up the absurdity of the whole process.

Countries with no assets vote as blocks to redistribute assets they didn't contribute, we've got the whole Arab League "zionism = racism" vitriol, yet these nations conveniently overlook far worse problems in their own backyards. At the risk of sounding like an arrogant American, they have us over a barrel and it's hard to see what benefit we get. The guiding principle seems to be "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need".

The world looks to the US and the UK to solve their problems, yet anything bad that happens is somehow our fault. If we stay out of their business, we're insular and uncaring. If we intervene, we're empire-building (not sure what's up with that - I don't see our vast empire anywhere on the map).

And, FWIW, thank you for your service - even if some of it was a waste. Most of us wouldn't be able to live our lives in security and comfort without the military. And it is appreciated - even if we forget to say it.