No reports of anyone hurt, but if the rebels can hit the government buildings where the UN Secretary General is holding a press conference in the middle of the Green Zone....

I think I concur with a little of that, considering the apparent unwillingness, on the part of the UN, to ACT, where action was undoubtedly called-for - as in Ruwanda - not to mention the corruption that has apparently gone on within that organization, but... and this is a big BUT... the reason for the the US denigrating the UN (and your perception, quoted above, is based more on this, I believe) is the desire of the neo-cons, who now control the government of the U.S., to sway American public opinion against the UN in order to facilitate the PNAC-inspired pre-emptive strike on Iraq.

Indeed, John "the moustache with a name" Bolton, who made no bones - for years - about publicly "hating" the UN - actually wanting it to disappear, or diminished by quite a bit - that's right, the same moustache who president Dufus then actually appointed TO the post of "U.S. ambassador to the UN" of all things... was also a signatory to the Project for a New American Century, which called precisely for pre-emptive attacks on Iraq and Iran.

So, whether the U.N. is completely worthy of denigration by Bolton and others or not, it was all just a ruse - a show, for effect - to hype the UN's failings in order to make it easier for Americans to understand the need for the U.S. to act unilaterally and wage pre-emptive "War" against whomever the PNAC determined was worthy of attack.

Oh, and Bolton's not the ambassador to the UN anymore - the guy is and always has been a regressive monstrosity and everyone with half a brain knew it. (which includes the Dufus, but then he's the decider)

google John Bolton PNAC and see what comes up... the Wiki is always a good place to start

[ 23 March 2007: Message edited by: vista ]

[ 23 March 2007: Message edited by: vista ]