For Bush at the U.N., a tall order

Animosities aside, the world hopes for the right words

ANALYSIS
By Michael Moran
MSNBC

Sept. 18 — In September, 2002, President Bush gave the speech of his life to the United Nations General Assembly, a speech that disarmed his critics. “Will the United Nations serve the purpose of its founding, or will it be irrelevant?” he asked. Neither the speech nor the U.N. disarmed Saddam Hussein, however. What weaponry the Iraqi dictator held ultimately fell prey to an Anglo-American invasion launched without U.N. support. Yet today, with Saddam toppled and Iraq occupied, the U.N. is anything but irrelevant, and Bush once again needs to deliver the speech of his life to set things right.

ONE OF THE most difficult twists for many Americans to follow in the tormented Iraq debate is this crowning irony: the U.N. Security Council’s refusal to rubber stamp a quick march to war against Iraq earlier this year has had the effect of strengthening, rather than weakening, the U.N.’s prestige and authority.

This is not to say that America cannot launch future pre-emptive wars against rogue states if it so chooses. America remains first among equals at the U.N. and, by virtue of its economic and military might, unrivaled in most other venues, as well.

But the messy aftermath of the Iraq war suggests that, if there is a “third act” in the terror war being scripted by Bush, it is unlikely to treat the United Nations as an afterthought.

The U.S. needs the world’s help in Iraq, and Bush know he needs to say that plainly and without rancor.

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