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Powell’s tough talk signaled that the Bush administration is ready to take a hard line with the United Nations after it failed to get tough with Saddam or enforce 17 resolutions demanding he disarm.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who last night began a quickie summit with President Bush at Camp David, also signaled that he doesn’t foresee any quick turnover of Iraq to any kind of U.N. administration.

This is what I wanted to hear. The U.N. has to be excluded. France and Germany and Russia have to be excluded and their former contracts and debts voided by the new Iraqi government. And Turkey gets no seat at the table either. They've all forfeited our goodwill in this matter. We may patch things up with them later but they cannot be allowed to prosper from their attempt to harm us and our real allies.

This is what I wanted to hear

Me too.

The UN is a principal lever of power for France. Our adversaries must experience that they will pay a price when they oppose American interests, especially in an underhanded manner. Marginalize the UN and you marginalize France. We have already made an end run around France in NATO, another lever of power for france. France has isolated itself, albiet with Belgium and Germany, in the EU, so another lever of power is weakened.

If one considers France to be just the most notorious of our wayward allies, one understands how the UN has become a snare and trap. Unfortunately, public opinion in America, while perhaps taken aback and confused about our rebuff in the Security Council, still supports the UN as a valuable and needed international institution. Most people are not Freepers and have lives almost exclusively apart from politics and so do not concern themselves with these issues. Equally, if you suggested to them that our highly respected institutions like the National Council of Churches, the American Bar Association, the National Education Association, our labor unions, and the Ford Foundation are aggresively hostile to their values, they would regard you as a kook.

I confess a begruging respect for the Left and for the way it has been able to infiltrate so many of our powerful and influential institutions. I wonder if someone can trace any part of this phenomenon to the Frankfrut School?

The U.N. has to be excluded. France and Germany and Russia have to be excluded

Agreed! I am reminded of a crime scene with tape surrounding it to keep people from corrupting any evidence that may be on premesis. Iraq is the crime scene and France, Germany, Russia and the U.N. are possible suspects. They NEED to be kept out!