Tarnishing the Brand

Nicholas Kristof's column on the editorial page today chastises President Bush for not following papal advice on "standing up to evil", by which he means the genocide in Darfur Sudan. Funny, previous New York Times talking points always cast Bush as a repressive theocrat. Now, hoping to close the values gap, and forgetting his past maddeningly schitzophenic reactions to Christianity, Kristof grabs the pope's robe in order to bash Bush for not being religiously obedient enough. How pathetic.

Nevermind that the pope called on the government of Sudan to halt the violence--not the US. What Kristof wants isn't US action anyway; He'd be happy to have us give money and logistical help to a UN force which would then "protect the weak". Europe no longer provides those services having chosen to offer criticism instead. Unaccountably, Kristof forgets recent UN history in which 'peacekeepers' were the predators. Wouldn't want to tarnish the brand by calling attention to it would we.