The Washington Post Gets it (mostly) Right

Today's editorial on the U.N. vote on enforcing credible inspections in Iraq is pretty close to being on the money. The Post has been scarily rational over this issue; scarily since it used to be the case that it could be counted on to mouth the usual bleatings of the appeasement brigades. Ah, it's a new dawn in America (...what? that slogan's been used?...) or at least here on the East Coast. Let's review what is right about this position:

• Nearly six weeks have passed since President Bush challenged the United Nations to act to enforce its resolutions on Iraq. Yet there has been no action (emphasis added).


• ...renewed U.N. inspections almost certainly would not ensure Iraqi disarmament...


• President Bush has risked the indefinite delay or evisceration of his campaign to eliminate the Iraqi threat in order to build a broad international coalition and preserve the authority of the United Nations.


• It is time to call their [France and Russia] bluff and ask the Security Council to vote...now they must decide whether they are ultimately to stand with the United States or Saddam Hussein.


• If it [the Security Council vote] fails, it should be clear that responsibility for the failure of multilateralism lies not with the hawks of Washington but with the naysayers of Paris and Moscow.

These points are all correct. Now, my opinion is that the United Nations long ago lost even the veneer of the appearance of standing for freedom. They have become an impediment to it, mostly. In evidence, honored readers, I give you the Durban conference, the attempt to prosecute the Jenin "massacre", the funding and support of Palestinian terrorists in the guise of humanitarian work in 50-year old "refugee" camps, world without end, amen...

All of this is clear to me, and perhaps to thee, but (sigh), a goodly portion of the rest of the world often fails to see things our way...it's why I write blogs instead of editorials for a real publication. Be that as it may, for a left-leaning, mainline national paper such as the Post to see with this degree of clarity is heartening.