The Minneapolis StarTribune (Sharon Schmickle, April 21, 2005) in an article contributed to by the Associated Press reports that former U.S. Sen. Rudy Boschwitz joined his fellow Minnesota Republican, Sen. Norm Coleman, by saying that U.N. Secretary-General has failed in his role.  Boschwitz stated that “Kofi Annan's leadership failures have contributed to major humanitarian disasters.  Boschwitz -- who is winding up a six-week stint in Geneva as chairman of the U.S. delegation to the U.N. Human Rights Commission -- made his remarks in an e-mail to reporters in Minnesota.  Noting Coleman's criticism of Annan over the U.N.'s scandal-ridden oil-for-food program for Iraq, Boschwitz said, ‘there is considerably more to Annan's lack of leadership.’ Boschwitz then linked Annan to genocide in Rwanda 11 years ago, saying that, as head of the U.N.'s peacekeeping office, Annan was central to a ‘criminal’ lack of action to stop the slaughter. ‘It continues today ... in Darfur,’ Boschwitz said, referring to massive killings in western Sudan.

“During a telephone interview, Boschwitz said that Annan has failed to help an effort in the Human Rights Commission to pass a resolution condemning the Sudanese government for attacks on civilians in the Darfur region. A resolution is expected to pass this week, but it won't be as strong as Boschwitz had hoped… ‘I don't see any participation by [Annan]. That's what I define as a lack of leadership.’”

Of course Annan's spokesman denied the allegation. “As for Rwanda, Annan has expressed regret that he didn't do more to stop the genocide, as have several world leaders, including former President Bill Clinton. But Annan can't be blamed for the U.N.'s failure to send in fully armed peacekeepers, said Robert Flaten, who was U.S. ambassador to Rwanda until a few months before the violence erupted.”

Oh yes, to be named in the same sentence as former President Clinton.  According to Flaten, "Kofi Annan was doing exactly what he was told to do by the Security Council, which was led by the United States. It was a very weak mandate, deliberately, because we had overstretched ourselves in Somalia."

Overstretched in Somalia?  Clinton sent a small force, watched them die, and then withdrew them.  That is overstretched?

With Clinton and Annan running the “global village”, we had no hope.  Clinton is gone.  Now it is time for Annan to follow.