Sixty years ago, representatives from 16 nations gathered to begin deliberations on a new international bill of rights. The document they produced is called the Universal Declaration of Human Rights -- and it stands as a landmark achievement in the history of human liberty. It opens by recognizing "the inherent dignity" and the "equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family" as "the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world." And as we gather for this 62nd General Assembly, the standards of the Declaration must guide our work in this world.
-- George W. Bush, address to United Nations General Assembly, 2007
When President Bush addressed the UN General Assembly yesterday, he used the occasion to remind that body of its dedication to human rights. He cited human rights abuses in Myanmar -- which he refered to as "Burma," Myanmar being beyond his modest pronunciation skills -- in Cuba, in "Belarus, North Korea, Syria, and Iran."
Bush called on the UN to reform. "To be credible on human rights in the world," he said, "The United Nations must reform its own Human Rights Council." Clearly, this man's call for human rights stirred the assembly. Many must've been busy picking their jaws up off the ground and saying to each other, "Geez, this idiot's got a lot of balls!"...
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