(Live Thread) PRES. BUSH ADDRESSES U.N. [11:30 EDT]

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/09/20060919-4.html ^ | September 19, 2006 | self

[RobFromGa]

President Bush is expected to address the situation in the Middle East, Iraq, and Iran's nuclear ambitions...

[Loud Mime]

Here are the old SG's of the UN:

* Trygve Lie, Norway (1945-1953)
* Dag Hammarskjöld, Sweden (1953-1961)
* U Thant, Burma (1961-1971)
* Kurt Waldheim, Austria (1972-1981)
* Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, Peru (1982-1991)
* Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Egypt (1992-1996)
* Kofi Annan, Ghana (1997-present)

NO big countries there....

[tobyhill]

and up next, the swimsuit contest.

[kabar]

The UN is an anachronism. It is still living in the immediate post WWII period. It is funded by just a relatively few countries, mainly the US (22%), Japan (19.5%), Germany (8.7%), UK (6.1%), France (6%), Italy (4.9%), and Canada (2.8%), which accounts for 70% of the total regular funding. The US pays even more of the peacekeeping budget (27%).

China (2.1%) and Russia (1.1%) are permanent members of the Security Council with a veto and Japan and German are not. Yet, efforts for reform are being blocked by those who contribute just a few percent of the resources. This is a joke. The UN needs to be reformed from top to bottom. It is a corrupt, bloated organization that unfortunately, has assumed the status, according to the Dems, of the moral authority over our foreign policy, which requires the UN imprimatur.

[onyx]

Dag Hammarskjöld, Sweden (1953-1961)


I remember when he died in a plane crash.

[Sacajaweau]

Cannot be a citizen from a Security Council Member Country. Don't forget, Bubba bought a place in Ireland. And yes, I do think he would give up his USA citizenship to be UN President. Let Hillary try to one-up him on that one.

[tsmith130]

The secretary general cannot be a national of any of the permanent security council nations.

[Mo1]

I am awfully tired. Maybe Mo can tell me why.

You're still stuck on the west coast hours??

[Sender]

[RightWhale]

Dag Hammarskjöld

He was taken as a deep thinker, but reading some of his writing he seems to have been a dark thinker, perhaps a goth before it was fashionable.

[txrangerette]

No wonder we are sick of the UN.

How useless is this anti-US and anti-Bush rhetoric.

We are in Iraq. And Osama has declared it the number one battle in their war against the West and Israel.

But we have to hear this idiot speechify against us on the topic while we wait for a speech by the Leader of the Free World.

[Fudd Fan]

The UN is just the failed incarnation of the failed League of Nations. These might have begun with utopian aims, but we're all humans and they can't ever be perfect.

[beyond the sea]

LOL ......... should be a pretty good show tonight as George introduces his new book, "Worker in the Light".

[Lucky9teen]

. It is a corrupt, bloated organization that unfortunately, has assumed the status, according to the Dems, of the moral authority over our foreign policy, which requires the UN imprimatur.

Kind of sounds like our government....

[STARWISE]

**For the cubicle-bound, this link from Yahoo should work for the live UN proceedings

[Sacajaweau]

Thhe UN is the Homeland Security for the World. It has prevented NOTHING...and it's help is a blink. It is a Paper Monstrosity...waiting to be dissolved.

[kabar]

Brazil contributes $29 million or 1.5% of the UN regular budget. Thailand contributes $4 million or .20%. Of course every head of state gets 15 minutes to address the UN General Assembly.

[cajungirl]

Cute!

Has anyone else noted how Nutjob looks western? I swear, I know people who look like him. He has an interesting face to me.

[Loud Mime]

Initial word is that he's well respected in Korea and has worked with the UN and other nations for some time.

That could be a lot of nothing.

[onyx]

LOL -- yes, Mo, that must be it -- stuck in Pacific Daylight Time.