Annan Won't Help Poor, After All

Back when Kofi Annan stepped down as Sec. Gen. of the UN, rumors deliberately planted by his staff were swirling that he might take on a more humble, low-key life, whiling away his declining years in his native Ghana, doing some farming and working to promote girls' education.

A nice picture, to be sure, but as with most thing U.N.-ish, it's all facade. Claudia Rosette dishes out the truth, letting us know that Annan's future is going to be in cosmopolitan, upscale Geneva, not Ghana, surrounded by the lackeys who helped him preside over some of the UN's most inefficient and corrupt years (quite an accomplishment!) working together as the board of the Global Humanitarian Forum.

Ms. Rosette:

Life is like a box of chocolates. Except if you are Kofi Annan, instead of Forrest Gump, it’s a very very expensive box of extra-fancy Swiss chocolates — and you probably have a pretty good idea of what you’re going to get. Kofi’s new candy box is a foundation launched this week called the Global Humanitarian Forum, and —a familiar theme — there’s lots of talk about “mission” but no upfront disclosure about money.

Here's the stated mission of t his box of chocolates:

The mission of the Global Humanitarian Forum is to foster dialogue and broker partnerships that strengthen the international community’s ability to address more effectively current and emerging humanitarian challenges. The Forum brings together a broad range of actors to find solutions and to catalyze political will on key humanitarian concerns. It seeks to generate increased investment in preparedness and prevention. All its work ultimately aims to be of benefit to the most vulnerable, particularly those living in least developed countries.

I've read it twice and I think I've got it translated right now: They're going to talk about getting people together to talk about how to raise money.

Sounds like the perfect job for a retired Sec. Gen. of the UN!

The Mental Misfits Who Cover The UN

Yesterday, Ban-ki Moon met with the parents of two kidnapped Israel Defense Force soldiers.

Nice of him to do so, even if he has virtually no power to do anything whatsoever for those two poor souls. At today's UN press briefing the matter came up. You'll love this.

Question: Yesterday, I think you said that the Secretary-General met with the families of the Israeli soldiers, prisoners. Will the Secretary-General also consider meeting with the families of prisoners now in the US jails, as reported by Human Rights Watch yesterday, by the CIA?

Spokesperson: He hasn’t been asked yet.

Excuse me? Is there not some sort of competency test for journalists? Is there not a better answer than, "He hasn't been asked yet?" Like maybe, "Are you out of your ever-lovin' mind?"

Just to clarify: The soldiers were kidnapped on duty, a war ensued, and they're still being held after the war ended, in violation of all international understandings on the treatment of war prisoners.

The Human Rights Watch allegations about captured terrorists whose whereabouts are supposedly unknown are unsubstantiated and could be considered credible only by people who consider testimony by terrorists against their enemies to be credible. To raise these phantom terrorists to the same level of the Israeli soldiers is sheer lunacy.

Yet the guy asking the question has UN press credentials. If you know someone with a mental defect that leaves him with absolutely no mental discernment, I think I know where you can get him a job.