Kofi Annan To Blast U.S. In Farewell Address

Posted on December 11, 2006

In a farewell speech on U.S. soil today, retiring United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan plans to deliver a tough critique of President Bush’s policies. He will accuse the administration of trying to secure the United States from terrorism in part by dominating other nations through force, committing what he termed human rights abuses and taking military action without broad international support.
Though Annan has long been a critic of the war in Iraq and other Bush foreign policies, the planned speech is among his toughest and is unusual for a U.N. secretary-general concluding his tenure.

Annan’s remarks, provided to USA TODAY by his office, list principles for international relations, among them “respect for human rights and the rule of law.”

These ideas can be advanced only “if America remains true to its principles, including in the struggle against terrorism,” the speech says. “When it appears to abandon its own ideals and objectives, its friends abroad are naturally troubled and confused.”

I imagine the same critique on abandoning principles can’t be addressed towards Kofi’s lack of leadership at the U.N. One really can’t abandon something they’ve never had.

Hot Air makes a list of Kofi’s failures and notes the irony of having the head of the UN criticize America from the porch of the president who first recognized Israel.

Rwanda, Kosovo, Darfur, Oil for Food, child-sex scandals, twelve years of unenforced resolutions against Saddam, paralysis in the face of an accelerating Iranian nuclear program, a North Korean bomb test this summer, and an antagonism towards Israel so relentless as to border on the persecutional.

Captain Ed dissects and laughs at Kofi’s Op-Ed for the Washington Post:

There’s plenty more laughs in Annan’s goodbye screed. He tries to use Hillary Clinton’s outline for It Takes A Village by telling readers that we are all responsible for each other’s security, and that we are all responsible for each other’s welfare. I’m sure that the people dying in Darfur will take great comfort in those words, in which the outgoing UN chief invokes them alongside the word “genocide” but manages to avoid applying it directly to them. Rwanda’s victims also would second Annan’s words, if any of them remained alive.

He then goes on to mention the rule of law and the need for states to play by the rules. However, in his quest for accountability, he fails to mention what consequences should come from failures to do so. We wanted to hold Saddam accountable for twelve years of intransigence in relation to 16 UN Security Council resolutions — and Annan opposed the effort. We want to hold Iran accountable for its defiance of the non-proliferation treaty — and Annan has little to say about that as well.

Accountability. Annan. Not exactly two terms one would tie together in UN history. This laughable attempt by Annan to do so will not succeed in anything except providing a much-needed laugh to Post readers.

I join with LGF the American Pundit is saying “good riddance” to Kofi. I hope the door hits you really hard on your way out. Hopefully the stinch at the U.N. will decrease with your departure, but alas, I’m probably being too optimistic there. Hey Kofi! Have you ever heard the old saying about glass houses?

Lorie Byrd at Wizbang:

Kofi is a corrupt and ineffective joke and is a prime example of all that wrong with the U.N. Anyone who oversaw the corrupt oil-for-food program has no credibility whatsoever and if he were speaking out against the policies of a Democrat president such as Bill Clinton, the shamefull oil-for-food debacle would be cited in the first paragraph of an article like this one.

Joust The Facts goes off on an excellent rant.
Gateway Pundit has the speech.
Michelle Malkin has a great roundup.
Iowahawk spoofs.

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One Response to “Kofi Annan To Blast U.S. In Farewell Address”

Jeff Molby on December 11th, 2006 2:28 pm

These ideas can be advanced only Ã¢â‚¬Å“if America remains true to its principles, including in the struggle against terrorism,Ã¢â‚¬Â the speech says. Ã¢â‚¬Å“When it appears to abandon its own ideals and objectives, its friends abroad are naturally troubled and confused.Ã¢â‚¬Â

Kofi is no role model, but his words are still true.