PAMELA BONE WRITES:

Yes, America is guilty of hypocrisy. But there’s a lot of it about.

In Congo an estimated three million people have been killed in the past five years of war. More are killed there every month than in the past two-and-a-half years in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But though you’ll see plenty of “Free Palestine” posters among the peace marchers, you won’t see any “Free Congo” ones.

The five permanent members of the Security Council are the five biggest weapons sellers in the world.

Let me tell you about that gently spoken peacemaker, Kofi Annan. At the time of the Rwandan genocide he was head of UN peacekeeping operations. When the killings started, urgent diplomatic cables were sent from Rwanda to his office, telling of bodies littering the streets and begging for more UN forces. He ignored them. Did not even pass them on to the Security Council. He has never explained why. . . .

Of course it would be safer and sounder legally if the action had UN backing. But let us not pretend having UN backing would mean one fewer Iraqi civilian would be killed.

The most wicked thing is not the action the US and its allies have to take now. More wicked is the neglect and hypocrisy of the past – in which we have all colluded.

She still doesn’t like Bush, though. But that’s okay. It’s not about Bush, as she seems to have realized.

(Via Oon Yeoh).

UPDATE: Adam Mersereau has more.