Written by: Beck

You can't even begin to imagine the magnitude of the shit-eating grin that spread across my face when I first heard that forces were at work to bring a vote of no confidence against UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. While I've called for US withdrawal from the UN in the past, I'm not naive enough to believe it could actually happen anytime soon. Still, if there is to be any hope of reforming the UN to the point where it can at least remain within the bounds of tolerability, the first absolutely necessary step is the removal of Annan.

The Weekend Australian has an excellent article reporting the details surrounding the no-confidence move. Take note that it's not diplomats calling for his head; rather, it's the UN staff union which has finally grown so fed up with the bastard that they've decided it's time for him to go.

United Nations staff were preparing last night to move a historic vote of no confidence in scandal-plagued Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

The staff union, in what officials said was the first vote of its kind in the UN's more than 50-year history, was set to approve a resolution withdrawing its support for Mr Annan and UN management.

Mr Annan has been under fire over a series of scandals, including controversy about a UN aid program that investigators say allowed deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to embezzle billions of dollars.

Staff said the trigger for the no-confidence motion was an announcement this week that Mr Annan had pardoned the UN's top supervisory official, who was facing allegations of favoritism and sexual harassment. The union had requested an inquiry into the behavior of the official, Dileep Nair, after employees accused him of harassing members of his staff and violating UN rules on the hiring and promotion of workers.

Assuming this actually by some miracle results in the departure of Annan, I say good riddance to bad rubbish.

In other news, genocidal slaughter continues unabated in Sudan.