I sure hope Fred isn't expecting the visceral reaction to his headline from the public that the Daily News got for their Gerald Ford one in 1976 (which came right after the U.N. tenure of one D.P. Moynihan, whose relationship with the other members of that august body wasn't exactly all hugs and kisses, just in case Kaplan's forgotten).

Wouldn't "Drop dead, please" be more diplomatic?
Still, either version works for me.

George Bush will never regret completely ignoring Fred Kaplan.

Here's W at the UN in September '02:

"Delegates to the General Assembly, we have been more than patient. We've tried sanctions. We've tried the carrot of oil for food, and the stick of coalition military strikes. But Saddam Hussein has defied all these efforts and continues to develop weapons of mass destruction. The first time we may be completely certain he has a -- nuclear weapons is when, God forbids, he uses one. We owe it to all our citizens to do everything in our power to prevent that day from coming.

The conduct of the Iraqi regime is a threat to the authority of the United Nations, and a threat to peace. Iraq has answered a decade of U.N. demands with a decade of defiance. All the world now faces a test, and the United Nations a difficult and defining moment. Are Security Council resolutions to be honored and enforced, or cast aside without consequence? Will the United Nations serve the purpose of its founding, or will it be irrelevant?"

They gave their answer.

Memo to Fred Kaplan:

Take a poll of Americans to see whether they can name the last U.N. Ambassador (John Whatshisname, former Senator from Missouri) . . .

Does this provide a clue as to how we feel about the United Nations?

Actually, the US really should apologize.

Just to acknowledge the money in lost revenues ousting Saddam has cost France, Germany and Russia?

We're talking major buckeroos. Serious cash. Mucho euros.

Not to mention lost prestige, hurt feelings, loss of self esteem, perhaps even continental dysfunction.

An apology might soften the blow, assuage hurt feelings (and pockets), would show those victimized countries that we feel their pain.

It never hurts to say you're sorry.

Yes, the US really should apologize.

It is fun to see some of the rationalizations the Euro crowd is making in the face of Bush's successes. The other day I was talking with a Swedish diplomat who holds all the views one would expect of a Swedish diplomat. As I like him and our kids are classmates and friends, I try to avoid dust-ups, but I did remark that, of all the arguments against the war, I thought the lack of a post-war plan was the silliest. He told me solemnly that State had a complete, well-thought out plan which the Pentagon completely ignored (Bad Pentagon!), but things were going to get a lot better now that "Condi" was at State. This discussion was on a ski-tow and, as we reached the top, we parted best of pals, both agreeing "Condi's" appointment was a very good thing.

Until Condi actually does something (anything), at which point she'll be instantly out of favor and history will be rewritten to show she's a moron.

Hasn't Kaplan misfired enough over the past two years to merit the "180 correction" label? The Left's stable of writers, of which he is a proud pony, must not have friends who can tell them when to be quiet.