UN Round Up Day 2

There is a consensus in the major papers that the W that appeared at the UN yesterday was very different than the one who had been there before. An analysis piece at WaPost notes the "different tone" W took towards the UN "praising the 'vital work and great ideals of this institution' and its efforts to take the 'first steps' toward managerial and structural reforms." The NYT in its own analysis, although it was not listed as such, noted W's "conciliatory tone." They even quote him:

No nation can remain isolated and indifferent to the struggles of others," he said in a hall that remained, by tradition, largely silent. "When a country or a region is filled with despair and resentment and vulnerable to violent and aggressive ideologies, the threat passes easily across oceans and borders and could threaten the security of any peaceful country.

After mentioning W's continued push for democracy in the Mid East NYT pulls this out:

Nonetheless, American officials traveling with Mr. Bush said that they wondered how successful the White House would be in allocating more reconstruction aid for Iraq now that the hurricane damage will soak up so many American resources. "It seems clear," said one senior official traveling with Mr. Bush, "that the days of American largesse for Iraq are coming to a close."

How important is an official traveling with W? Perhaps more important than me but not by much (and trust me I'm a nobody). If the source was attached to the White House he or she would have been identified as such. Since NYT didn't say White House it is safe to assume that the leak is from State Dept. mandarin who has as much pull with W as Britney Spears.

The WaPost also noted the connection Bush made between anti-terrorism and anti-poverty programs. I've never been a big fan of this particular theory of causation, none of the 9/11 hijackers were exactly starving, but I was thrilled to read that he promised drop US tariffs.

The LAT noted that both Kofi Annan and W chided the UN for not enacting more reform but true to form the paper of record in the left coast said that many countries held the US responsible for this failure. In the next line however they admit that W accepted what had been our biggest objection:

But Bush also surprised delegates by reversing U.S. stances on trade and development that had nearly scuttled weeks of negotiation on the reforms. "To spread a vision of hope, the United States is determined to help nations that are struggling with poverty," Bush said. "We are committed to the Millennium Development Goals."

Those goals include cutting poverty and hunger in half, ensuring universal education and stemming the spread of AIDS by 2015. "In this young century, the far corners of the world are linked more closely than ever before, and no nation can remain isolated and indifferent to the struggles of others," Bush said in a keynote speech at the opening of the three-day World Summit.

In a separate piece the LAT found that the UN's bid for reform "exposes its woes."

The conservative WashTimes meanwhile is all confused. They highlight Bush's knocks at the UN for not taking on corruption and its failures in the arena of human rights:

"When this great institution's member states choose notorious abusers of human rights to sit on the U.N. Human Rights Commission, they discredit a noble effort and undermine the credibility of the whole organization," Mr. Bush told the U.N. General Assembly.

In past years, Libya and Sudan have served on the commission.

"If member countries want the United Nations to be respected and effective, they should begin by making sure it is worthy of respect," he said.

Although Mr. Bush did not mention the multibillion-dollar oil-for-food debacle that has rocked the United Nations, he called on the world body to move past scandal.

"The United Nations must be strong and efficient, free of corruption and accountable to the people it serves," he said. "The United Nations must stand for integrity and live by the high standards it sets for others."

In desperate need to find someone to say something bad about Iran the WashTimes had to turn to French PM Dominique de Villepin. Speaking of Iran the former terrorist and current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was anything but conciliatory. He knocked the US and didn't even bother mentioning his nuke program.

In case anyone cares Mexican President Vincente Fox supports the reform package at the UN. He also said that the Group of 15 nations will get together later to come to a consensus on the new Human Rights Council...I can hardly wait. Did I mention that Algeria (p. 10), Egypt, Venezuela (p. 109), and Zimbawe (p. 127) are in the G15?