U.N. Scrambles to Reclaim Role Amid Debate on Rebuilding Iraq

As the struggle over administering Iraq moves onto center stage Tuesday at the United Nations, Secretary-General Kofi Annan is engaged in a broader fight to reclaim the U.N.'s leading role in world diplomacy.

The U.N.'s Security Council appears as deeply split as it was over the war itself, the U.N. staff is demoralized and the organization is being sidelined from the new Iraq that the Bush administration is rapidly pushing to build. "For Annan, you can't overestimate the deep pain he feels," says one U.N. insider. "His whole world is spinning out of control."

WATCH FOR XLINTOON TO MAKE A MOVE TO BE NAMED HEAD OF THE U.N. !!!!! ( I have been saying this since 1995 )

As has been pointed out numerous times on this board, the Secretary-General of the UN cannot be from one of the 5 permanent Security Council members (US, Russia, China, Britain and France). So unless the US withdraws from the UN (Here's hoping!), or unless Clinton changes his citizenship to some other country (also not a bad idea, if he takes his wife with him), he will never be the head of the UN.

One day as the Little Red Hen was scratching in a field, she found a grain of wheat.
"This wheat should be planted," she said. "Who will plant this grain of wheat?"
The Duck hid the trowel under a pile of trash.
The Cat pooped in the garden and dug it up to bury the mess.
The Dog lobbied for zoning laws to prohibit the growing of grain in the town.
"Then I will," said the Little Red Hen. And she did.

Soon the wheat grew to be tall and yellow.
"The wheat is ripe," said the Little Red Hen. "Who will cut the wheat?"
The Duck scraped the scythe against a rock to dull the blade.
The Cat sharpened his claws on the scythe handle.
The Dog argued that weilding scythes was bad for children and other living things.
"Then I will," said the Little Red Hen. And she did.

When the wheat was cut, the Little Red Hen said, "Who will thresh the wheat?"
The Duck started pounding on the wheat with a dirty sledge hammer.
The Cat dumped some of the crushed wheat into his litter box.
The Dog thought that the Little Red Hen was asking for "thrash rock", and cranked up the stereo.
"Then I will," said the Little Red Hen. And she did.

When the wheat was threshed, the Little Red Hen said, "Who will take this wheat to the mill?"
The Duck let the air out of the Little Red Hen's tires.
The Cat cut up the road map to the mill and taped it together with some pieces backwards.
The Dog insisted that it was bad for the environment to make unnecessary trips.
"Then I will," said the Little Red Hen. And she did.

She took the wheat to the mill and had it ground into flour. Then she said, "Who will make this flour into bread?"
The Duck said that the flour had to be made into deep-dish pizza, or nothing.
The Cat approached the flour with a blow torch.
The Dog said that bread was bad for the cardiovascular system.
"Then I will," said the Little Red Hen. And she did.

She made and baked the bread. Then she said, "Who will eat this bread?"
"Oh! I will," said the Duck.
"And I will," said the Cat.
"And I will," said the Dog.
"No, No!" said the Little Red Hen. "I will do that." And she did.

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