Centerfield

More Diplomatic Malpractice?

NBC News reported last night that President Bush, in his speech today to the U.N., does not intend to adopt a conciliatory tone or to make significant concessions, and that the new resolution they're crafting will be relatively weak and result in only modest additional contributions of funds or troops.

We'll have to see if that's true, and judge the speech on its merits.

If it is, though, then it seems we're pretty much on the same road we've always been on -- a mostly unilateralist strategy in Iraq.

The best choice is to craft some sort of language that makes it clear we understand the problems with our present policy, but without going so far as to say we were wrong. Any good speech writer could manage that.

We need to get as much as we can out of the international community right now. A few words of conciliation could help, and only "hurts" in the sense of making a certain segment of conservatives uncomfortable -- the ones who think the U.N. is worthless.

They'd get over it, though. And our soldiers could use some help.

UPDATE:

Looks like the speech went pretty much as expected. And a story in today's New York Times has the behind-the-scenes thinking that went into this:

In words written as much for a domestic audience as for an international one, Mr. Bush is expected to make limited concessions giving the United Nations more control in Baghdad, as the allies would like. But he will keep real authority in American hands.

"There's a feeling that you have to assert that the United States is still in control, if nothing else for domestic concerns," said a senior administration official, who, like most of those interviewed, requested anonymity.

"We're going into an election year and the president has to project an image of power and authority," the official added. "There will be a lot of language implying that we're not going anywhere. We're asking for help, but not for anyone to take over."

I think they're just plain wrong about public opinion. People would respond favorably to a real international partnership on Iraq. And the president has missed yet another opportunity to try to build one.