October 27, 2005
Oil-for-Food Mess
If anyone had any doubts as to how valuable the U.N. really is, they should be reassured by the final Oil for Food report by Paul Volcker's committee.
The 623-page document exposed the global scope of a scam that allegedly involved such name-brand companies as DaimlerChrysler and Siemens AG (SI), as well as a former French U.N. ambassador, a firebrand British politician and the president of Italy's Lombardi region.
It meticulously detailed how the $64 billion program became a cash cow for Saddam and more than half the companies participating in oil-for-food - at the expense of Iraqis suffering under U.N. sanctions. It blamed shoddy U.N. management and the world's most powerful nations for allowing the corruption to go on for years.
Think about it: the world body that was supposedly reining in Saddam by its sanctions was really just a giant piggy bank (ooh, offensive term!) for corrupt companies and individuals to dip their dirty little hands into. It's amazing how many different nationalities were represented!
Sadly, there were some Americans involved (and they should be prosecuted just like anyone else), but what really cracks me up is that Russia and France pretty much lead the pack as far as who was involved. Remember who was outspoken about our going into Iraq? Gee...
And good old George Galloway, who lambasted our Senate last spring for daring to accuse him of receiving kickbacks from Saddam, is in for a hearty helping of crow. HP sauce, anyone?
The U.N. was in charge of all of this. And look what happened. This is the organization that John Kerry said should be consulted first and foremost when it comes to our national security. The organization that wants to stick its sticky fingers into the Internet regulation pie. The sex abuse by peacekeepers in the Congo, etcetera ad nauseum.
Kofi Annan has refused to step down. Where's the outrage from the rah rah crowd on the left? A group that blames George W. Bush personally for the aftermath of Katrina should certainly expect Annan to take the heat for a badly run program that affected millions of Iraqis it was supposed to help.
Those pesky double standards just don't want to go away.
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