0
If I've learned nothing else from reality television, it's that the old saying "truth is stranger than fiction" really is true. Last week it wasn't just true, it was on full out parade on the cable news channels. The United Nations show was in town and its parade of clowns was in rare form, making even the "Bridezillas" look sane by comparison.Chavez Smells Multiple Personality Disorder
During a 57-minute speech, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said the U.N. no longer smelled of sulfur (as when Bush was president) and now smelled of hope. He also spoke about his BFF Fidel Castro and the "two Obamas." No, that wouldn't be Michelle and Barack, but the President Obama who makes promises and the President Obama who doesn't always keep them.
OK, so even a crazy guy gets something right every once in a while.
Ahmadinejad Goes for the Crazy
Chavez wasn't the only clown performing in the circus. Also addressing the United Nations General Assembly last week were Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Libya's Muammar Gaddafi. When Ahmadinejad speaks, you might not pick up on the venom if not for the translation. Except for the wild eyes, his looks don't match the message, which in the past has included talk of the denial of the Holocaust and the coming of the 12th Imam.
Gaddafi Filibuster Triggers Nervous Breakdown
The same cannot be said of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Not only did he bring his very own Bedouin tent to the circus, but he showed up in costume and rambled for 94 minutes (six times longer than the 15-minute guideline) as he spoke to the U.N. for the first time in his 40 years as Libya's ruler. Gaddafi ranted about JFK's "Israeli killer"; "Israeli demons"; "rolling thunder"; his wish that "our son" Obama could be president for life; and his complaints of "suffering, of flying for hours to come to this place." His diatribes were more than his personal translator could stand -- he broke down toward the end of speech, collapsing from exhaustion.
Should These Folks Be in Charge?
Many walked out on Ahmadinejad's speech, but about half of those in the General Assembly sat through it. And astonishingly, Gaddafi and Chavez received applause during parts of their speeches. You see, at the United Nations, even the clowns in the far left and right rings are given equal footing as the responsible, sane members.
President Obama has made the U.N. and international law a major component of American foreign policy. Doesn't some of what we've seen recently at the U.N. show it is not the best place to look for a model to imitate?
