WASHINGTON (AP) – The White House objected Thursday to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s description of the United States as a “deadbeat” donor to the world body. Ban used the phrase Wednesday during a private meeting with lawmakers at the Capitol, one day after he met with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Ban’s “word choice was unfortunate,” given that the U.S. is the largest contributor to the United Nations. The United States pays 22 percent of the organization’s nearly $5 billion operating budget but is perennially late paying its dues.
Asked whether Ban should retract his comment, Gibbs said some recognition by Ban of the U.S. role would be appropriate.
“I think given the contribution that the American taxpayer makes, I do think it would be appropriate to acknowledge that role,” Gibbs told reporters at his daily briefing.
Ban, apparently concerned about his choice of words, issued a statement late Wednesday saying the U.S. “generously supports the work of the U.N., both in assessed and voluntary contributions.” Ban also said he enjoys “an excellent working relationship with the United States and appreciates the many ways that it supports the United Nations.”
Well that’s a fine way to treat your host!
The picture says it ALL!!!!!
Simmering international resentment over US power in the UN, the World Bank and NATO, which it then regards as it’s employees, produces unexpected comedy from time to time.
Well…when you get right down to it…the U.N. can just go suck it. It’s high time the U.S. not only quits paying this ass wipe of an organization billions of dollars, but also asks them to politely vacate the building and relocate their worthless, ineffective asses to another country (Venezuela perhaps?). Send the U.N. the same way as the defunct League of Nations and good riddance.
The U.N. is useless anymore. We should dump it.
When will the UN pay rent?
Yes, the UN is a spineless and useless entity and we should just kick them out!
Kick the rude folks out. Maybe they would prefer not paying parking tickets in Zimbabwe. They can try it, just for fun.
“For the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my United Nations” – Michelle Obama (paraphrased)
He is just pandering to the anti-US crowd earning some brownie points. Typical politician. I would bet the apology was already drafted before the disparaging remarks. If the UN members really hated having to come to the US, they would move.
They certainly had a huge effect searching for terrorists, now didn’t they?
I doubt they could search for Waldo.
The Reagan Administration had a wonderful response to crap like this – they cut the contributions to the UN back to NOT cover expenses supporting blatant anti-American activity on the part of UN staff. It was a highly educational move which had laudable results.
What gets me is that Ban Ki-Moon just came from licking Vladimir Putin’s butt because Russia decided to pay off THEIR badly in-arrears UN dues. Think that the Russians would have settled up if the Secretary General had called THEM deadbeats (and by comparison, the Russians have historically been in default on THEIR contributions going back over the entire history of the UN).
No matter how large a putz the present Secretary-General of the UN is, the next one always manages to be worse. It’s a curious but inviolate law of social interactions.
This is what happens when third world kleptocrats are allowed to run things.
These are the most sensible comments that I’ve ever seen at Dvorak.org/blog. Is there a goof-ball convention this evening? Where did they go?
Ineffective as it is, such an organization is necessary to give a context to international diplomacy. With it there’s still lot’s of military aggression, without it there would be still more. It’s become bloated with sterile programs and persuits, and the really big issues are avoided. It could use some reform. Perhaps they could move it to europe.
There is a lot right about the UN. There is also a lot that needs to be fixed. But at any time, dialogue is better than aggression.
A forum for diplomacy doesn’t require 5 billion a year.
I must say, outstanding comments all! I’m very heartened to (if I read correctly) not find a single anti-American comment in the bunch.
Kudos!
You know, the UN could be run on a BLOG with WordPress software!
don’t you think?
I’ll make an “anti-USA” post: The UN is about as effective as the USA allows it to be. Then throw in the rest of the security council, and you see the problem.
The UN is not meant to be effective. If it were, it might be effective against our own (short sighted) desires.
I thought the days of ‘screw you’ diplomacy were over. Clearly not.
The truth always hurts.
I’ve had the misfortune of working for five UN Agencies (UNICEF, WHO, WFP, UNDP and UNHCR) and I can tell you it’s amazing anything positive gets done. The UN appears to be staffed by people who have only one thing in mind: keeping their job. And why not? I worked with a Polish physician who told me he was making almost $200,000 per year in Africa whereas, at home, he might make 3 or 4 thou per year. I could give numerous similar examples. The point is, there is NO incentive to accomplish anything because that means the end of your job and a return to your third world home.
I have maintained for years it is time to fund the things the UN does well, like distribute food in emergencies, and carry out vaccination programs. But the rest of it needs to either reorganize or disband. It definitely needs to learn not to bite the hand that feeds it.
This is the perfect time to dump the UN. Ban Ki-Moon, let me acquaint you with another American phrase.
Go fuck yourself.
Isn’t it funny how the resident “be responsible” bunch all of a sudden gets so tender?
Send them packing.
Hey fuckwad, we already spend billions of dollars on the rest of the world while our own citizens continue to have problems. If you haven’t noticed we’re in a bit of a crisis at the moment that I personally would rather see us spend our money on our own people before we go and help out someone else first.
In the corporate world, if you overtly insult your biggest customer by calling them a deadbeat, you’d be immediately fired.
In the sports industry, you’d at LEAST be suspended…but probably fired too.
Yes, the UN special programs have no incentive to end, and the people there want to stay there as long as possible. I suspect that’s why we are still in Kosovo.
Actually, I worked for UNHCR in Kosovo during and after the conflict. If by “we” you mean the US, I suspect the reason we’re still there is the huge air base we built in the south.
Need to get the US out of the UN, and the UN out of the US.