Sending the Grinch to the United Nations wasn't enough

They have to do this, too:

Less than a month before world leaders arrive in New York for a world summit on poverty and U.N. reform, the Bush administration has thrown the proceedings in turmoil with a call for drastic renegotiation of a draft agreement to be signed by presidents and prime ministers attending the event.

The United States has only recently introduced more than 750 amendments that would eliminate new pledges of foreign aid to impoverished nations, scrap provisions that call for action to halt climate change and urge nuclear powers to make greater progress in dismantling their nuclear arms. At the same time, the administration is urging members of the United Nations to strengthen language in the 29-page document that would underscore the importance of taking tougher action against terrorism, promoting human rights and democracy, and halting the spread of the world's deadliest weapons.

Okay, I have to agree with the latter part, about asking for UN cooperation in weapons of mass destruction and human rights (though I find it odd and rather hypocritical for the U.S. to demand that) . However, I honestly don't see why the U.S. is being such a jerk about climate change and poverty.

I know that one can't ask a corporate White House administration to endorse climate control that'd reduce the ludicrous profits made by oil companies. Y'all know what I think about this country's foreign policy, but this is a whole new level of arrogance that further tests the limits of the public's tolerance.

Oh, and the Grinch himself seems bent on doing as much damage as possible during his short reign- I mean... term as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

The proposed changes, submitted by U.S. Ambassador John R. Bolton, touch on virtually every aspect of U.N. affairs and provide a detailed look at U.S. concerns about the world body's future. They underscore U.S. efforts to impose greater oversight of U.N. spending and to eliminate any reference to the International Criminal Court. The administration also opposes language that urges the five permanent members of the Security Council not to cast vetoes to halt genocide, war crimes or ethnic cleansing.

I'm speechless. What, is this administration planning some sort of "purging" of liberal Americans? Geez, we all know that the UN needs some serious and immediate reforms, but this kind of attitude by one of its prominent members (us) undermines any progressive changes made by the UN and delegitimizes the institution. It IS what Bolton said about the UN... That it should exist solely as an instrument of U.S. foreign policy to impose on the world the sheer arrogance and the blatant conceit of the United States of America.