[KevinTheOmnivore]

I don't think this has been discussed here as of yet, and something about it has been bugging me lately.

For me, this is the bottom line-- those who are cooking up this so-called scandal in order to smear Kofi Annan and tear down the UN are the very same people who wish for the ultimate demise of that institution. They hate the fact that we are a part of it, they are paranoid, and they resent the fact that our tax dollars go towards financing the "one world government."

In my opinion, this is merely a window of opportunity for those who pushed for this war to get retribution and good ol' fashion revenge. If we truly believed in maintaining the integrity of the UN, why did we just recently give Annan a vote of confidence in the UN? Why didn't our administration follow the lead set by Minnesota's #1 jackass, Sen. Norm Coleman, and call for Annan's resignation....? If this is truly the "biggest world scandal ever," as the latest GOP talking points have declared it to be, why jump to support Annan? Why not wait for the findings by Volcker?

Here are some of the facts:

- NO, I repeat, ZERO American dollars were stolen, laundered, or whatever, in this scandal.

- The Oil-for-Food programme was set up, maintained, and routinely monitored by the Security Council. The U.S. sat on the commission that ran the program. Every contract, every transaction, went right by our eyes.

- Iraq acquired more illicit funding through non-OFF programme transactions with Turkey and Jordan. Both of these nations are our allies, and we're hearing far less noise over this scandal.

I'm not trying to say that the UN doesn't have problems, nor do I think this matter should be overlooked. But I also think that this matter has been terribly exaggerated by those who simply despise the idea of the UN, and who would rather see us withdraw from the world and resort to faux coalitions and unilateral jingoism.

I think Kofi Annan is one of the finest, and most proactive secretary generals the UN has ever had. If his son is guilty of a crime, then prosecute him. If Kofi is guilty of a crime, go after him, too. But I think we should wait and see the results of the Volcker investigation, rather than jumping at this as an opportunity to tear down the UN.

Any thoughts?