■"A Report By U.S., Criticizing U.N., Urges Reforms: Changes 'Must Be Real'; Congress Task Force Calls for Rapid Use of Power to Prevent Genocide," by Warren Hoge, New York Times, 13 June 2005, p. A1.

■"U.S. Remains Vague About U.N. Goals: Battle Over Bush's Bolton Nomination Masks Administration's Caution on Overhaul," by Yochi J. Dreazen, Wall Street Journal, 15 June 2005, p. A4.

First article previewed today's release of a congressionally-mandated panel report on how to fix the UN. Newt Gingrich, who's on every such panel, and George Mitchell, who's also on every such panel, were co-chairs (I think they co-chair every panel and commission in existence today, do they not?).

Report is 174 pages, and I bet it's thrilling stuff (no, we just write forensic thrillers after terrorist attacks, I forget).

It's big push is for UN to pull some rapid reaction force out of its rear end and make it able to leap national boundaries in a single leap, preventing genocide before it occurs.

Oooh! I see that one coming in a matter of weeks, once this baby hits the streets!

Notice how the U.S. is always asking other entities to come up with these "rapid reaction" forces that will do jobs we detest?

Good luck with that, I say.

On the second story, it's interesting that the U.S. favors Japan getting a UN Security Council permanent seat but not Germany. I mean, Germany comes totally clean on all its sins of WWII (the reason why it's not on), whereas Japan continues to whitewash its own far too much. Hmmm. Wonder if Germany's opposition to the Iraq War has anything to do with this, as in "forgive Russia, ignore Germany, punish France."