Recall, yesterday the New York Times said UN actions in Iraq had been "crucial." This version of reality from the New York Sun differs significantly: After the ouster of Saddam, America and its allies hoped United Nations involvement would blunt the hostility of those opposed to the enterprise of Middle East change. Turtle Bay, however, was a different place then. Only few dared to snicker back in 2003 when Mr. Annan and other officials habitually used terms like "international legitimacy" and "moral authority" to describe their organization. Those descriptions have now been replaced by desperate calls for healing a bankrupt and corrupt United Nations. Either way, any hope for a significant U.N. role in Iraq was lost in August 2003, when a terrorist blew up the U.N. Baghdad headquarters, killing 21 in the process, including Sergio Vieira de Mello of Brazil. A traumatized United Nations withdrew from the country, only to return with a tiny staff and less ambitious hopes for...(Read Full Post)