Quit Blaming France

The DLC seems to be shifting the blame for the current crisis onto the U.N. as described in today's essay:

"The French-led rebellion against enforcement of U.N. resolutions concerning Iraq has taken on a new and more dangerous nature since President Jacques Chirac's admission that there are no circumstances under which France would allow U.N.-sanctioned military action to occur. "Whatever happens, France will vote no," he told reporters in a domestic television interview. Aside from representing a green light to Saddam Hussein to resume his defiant pursuit of weapons of mass destruction amidst the minor inconvenience of inspectors, this posture belies the claim that France, Germany and Russia are trying to defend the United Nations' multilateral prerogatives against U.S. unilateralism. The United States has asked the United Nations to deal with Saddam Hussein after 12 years of unenforced resolutions, and it looks like the United Nations may simply refuse.

There's already a backlash underway in U.S. public opinion against the previously lofty reputation of the United Nations. And if the United Nations begins to reflect the apparent belief of some in Europe that the United States, not Iraq or North Korea, represents the primary threat to world peace and stability, then domestic support for collective security through multilateral organizations will inevitably drop even further."

The Domocrats seem to be confusing France's defiance with the overall intentions of the majority of the members. They make it appear that France poses more of a threat to security in the region than the growing Bush-led U.S. military presence. The U.N. should call France's bluff and do the reasonable action: acknowledge that Hussein is doing a half-ass job of compliance, increase the presence of the inspection team and support the inspection team with U.N. soldiers. Obviously Hussein reacted to the military threat posed by the U.S. by allowing the inspectors back in and releasing details of weapons stores (however incomplete it may be). Now the U.N. needs to ratchet up the pressure by increasing its presence in Iraq and forgoing any spineless imposition of timelines.