Mitt Who? Devil's Spawn Who?

In today's U.N. press briefing, there was a classic exchange exemplifying the snobby, eurocentric attitude so prevalent at the U.N. This one probably had the folks in the Romney camp shaking their heads.

Question: Mitt Romney, the Republican nominee for President, has written a press release that he has written a letter to Ban Ki-moon having to do with President of Iran’s attendance at the General Assembly session. So I guess I just wanted to know: has such a letter been received and if the Secretary-General has any response to it?

Spokesperson: The letter would be from whom?

(Gateway Pundit has more on Romney's request here, including this little gem from the letter: "If President Ahmadinejad sets foot in the United States, he should be handed an indictment under the Genocide Convention." The Convention defines genocide, among other things, as the "direct and public incitement to commit genocide," so Mitt's got a point. My only question is why we need to wait till the Devil's Spawn drops by our way.)

The spokesperson finally got around to saying he was aware of no such letter, nor did he have anything to say about Elie Weisel's similar request: That nations calling for the extermination of other nations should not be permitted to maintain their U.N. membership.

Question: The Mitt Romney letter comes on the heels of other people such as Elie Wiesel and so on asking to ban Iran from membership at the UN because of its violation of the UN Charter by threatening a Member State. The question is: does the Secretary-General have anything to add to that angle?

Spokesperson: Well, any questions about the membership of a Member State – it has to go through the General Assembly. It cannot go through any other body.

Question: But does the Secretary-General have anything to say about that?

Spokesperson: No.

How can the Sec-Gen of the U.N. not have anything to add to the question of Iran's membership in an organization that (in theory at least) is opposed to genocide, especially when Mah- I'm in the - moud - for lox and bagles Ahmadinejad (rhymes with "I want to debate that Bush cad) is coming to New York soon? The drawn-out question is rhetorical, of course.

U.N. rule #1: Never expect an answer from the Sec-Gen on a controversial subject.

U.N. rule #2: Unless, of course, it's an opportunity to criticize the United States.

Totally cool art: Culture War