Pittsburg Tribune-Review: Editorial
October 11, 2004

Before voters buy John Kerry’s pitch for better foreign relations through the United Nations, they should invest some close attention in the unfolding U.N. oil-for-food scandal.

Growing evidence uncovered by congressional investigators and others paints a grim picture of wholesale corruption and greed that undermined humanitarian aid while bolstering Saddam Hussein’s militaristic ambitions.

By conservative estimate, Saddam pocketed $10 billion. Investigators now know that some of it paid for military-related goods used to attack coalition forces in Iraq.

While dodging sanctions, Saddam paid off a slew of officials with lucrative oil vouchers worth millions. Recipients reportedly included the former U.N. administrator in charge of the oil-for-food program, along with French and Russian officials.

The United States did try to stop the abuses, a la the Kerry Doctrine, by working with the United Nations. But it was blocked by France, Russia and China, which “had much to gain from maintaining the status quo,” according to a staff memo from one of four investigating congressional committees.

Even now the stonewalling continues. The “official” U.N. commission studying the oil-for-food mess has withheld all internal information from congressional investigators.

Congress should respond by passing legislation in the Senate to cut off all U.S. contributions to the United Nations until it cooperates fully in exposing what may well be the biggest criminal enterprise in history.