07/06/2004: "Interview with the Bob"

Left-wing UCC seminarian Chuck Currie tosses softball questions to fellow left-winger Bob Edgar, National Council of Churches president, in an interview that touches on Iraq:

You recently discussed the situation in Iraq with United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan. Do you see any hope that the Bush administration will reverse course and truly involve the international community in rebuilding Iraq? Or is there a chance the situation will continue to worsen?

I don�t want to speculate on what the Bush Administration will or will not do in Iraq in the weeks and months ahead, but the emerging details of the so-called handover of sovereignty to Iraqis are extremely disappointing. The ever-expanding U.S. role in Iraq and the fact that U.S. troops and contractors remain above Iraqi law make a mockery of Iraq�s sovereignty. Things will surely get worse if we as a nation continue on a unilateral course of action. When Iraqis realize how much of the "handover" is window dressing, their dashed expectations will only increase the levels of frustration and anger directed against the United States.

I'm not sure what country Bob's talking about, but it doesn't sound like the Iraq we're all hearing about. In that Iraq, the vast majority of population supports recent US actions to turn over sovereignty. The new government is handling the task of trying a murderous dictator. Dozens of countries are participating in the work of bringing security and rebuilding infrastructure. Of course, this interview was posted just two days after the handover, so Bob may have jumped the gun a little in pronouncing the actions doomed practically before they happened.

Faith leaders in the U.S. have a far different vision of how America should act in Iraq and elsewhere around the globe. The leadership of the National Council of Churches and its member communions, along with other faith partners, continue to press toward the day when the United States will take its place among the nations in a cooperative, multilateral and sustainable way.

By "faith leaders," of course, Bob means "me and the boys and girls on Riverside Drive." I never cease to be amazed at the arrogance that allows guys like Bob to speak of "faith leaders" as though religious leaders are of one political stripe only.

As you said, I led an international ecumenical delegation in May to meet with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan to express our conviction that lasting peace and security will only come to Iraq when the international community is involved. We said at that time that we hoped President Bush would not just repackage the occupation, but rather welcome significant involvement by the United Nations, and allow the U.N. to function in an independent role. We continue to call for a change in our government�s direction that would make such a course of action possible.

I've got to wonder, what exactly does it mean for the "UN to function in an independent role"? What does Bob want them to do? This is just a collection of boilerplate expressions without substance. All we ever get out of NCC-types is, "bring in the UN," though there are lots of good reasons for being hesitant to do so (see here, here, here, here, and here). One might add that Bob apparently missed the unanimous vote of the UN Security Council endorsing recent US actions in Iraq, as well as Jacques Chirac's churlish statement that France would never be caught dead doing something so boorish as helping to bring freedom and security to Iraq.

We also are working so that people in our congregations might gain a deeper understanding of the events that are unfolding day by day and that have such a powerful impact on our world. The National Council of Churches has developed and tested a faith-based curriculum on multilateralism that can be used by congregations and other groups. Study groups that use the curriculum will come away with a better understanding of why America cannot afford to "go it alone." We hope to market the study widely.

I can't wait.