Somebody Pinch Me

Why is Kofi Annan, of all people, publishing an editorial in the Washington Post praising the “progress” toward a new constitution and reconstruction in Iraq?

1. To persuade us that his organization’s competence extends beyond the field of embezzlement;

2. To ingratiate himself with U.S. officials, who are deciding whether to ask for his resignation in the wake of the Wilson memos;

3. They’re secretly optimistic, and want to be on the ground in time to claim some credit;

4. Insert favorite theory here.

For all my shaken faith in the U.N. in its current form, I adhere to the idea that a union of democratic nations might actually possess two things that would enable it to preserve and make peace: a common set of values and some moral authority.

If only.