UN Rejects U.S. Lawmakers' Bid for Vote Observers

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040708/pl_nm/campaign_un_observers_dc&cid=615&ncid=2043

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. observers will not monitor the U.S. presidential election, despite a request by some Democratic lawmakers who fear a repeat of the disputed 2000 Florida vote, U.N. officials said Thursday.


Thirteen Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives had asked the world body to send an observer mission to safeguard the rights of American voters in the Nov. 2 election. They cited the Florida recount battle four years ago ultimately decided by the U.S. Supreme Court (news - web sites). Republican George W. Bush won the state by 537 votes, giving him the White House.


"We are deeply concerned that the right of U.S. citizens to vote in free and fair elections is again in jeopardy," the lawmakers wrote U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan (news - web sites) last week.


The United Nations (news - web sites) said it could not act on a plea from legislators.


"The policy and practice is that the United Nations responds to requests made by national governments and not the legislative branch," U.N. spokeswoman Marie Okabe said.

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[TrogL]

1. So who will the plea need to come from?

[Massacure]

3. Obviously not from Bush's puppet at the U.N.

[ChickMagic]

2. Does that mean that BushCo has to ask for it?

I wrote to them myself a long time ago asking them, as a private citizen, to monitor the election. No response.

[pinto]

4. odd choice of words from the UN, we have a tri-partite nat'l government.

Guess they mean a head of state has to make the request.....

Glad this has gotten some press, though. That was probably the Senators' intent (knowing there would be a probable refusal)....

Nice political maneuver...

Hope all the foreign journalists can make it home to renew their visas and get back for November - referring to another thread:

"U.S. Orders Foreign Reporters To Leave Country To Renew Visas"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=1949841

[Mechatanketra]

5. It' ****ing bullhockey.

Who had to sign onto the treaties that put America in the UN? The Senate -- part of the legislative branch.

Congress is our national government, every bit as much as the President is (moreso, since they have the power to remove the President, while he can't fire Congressional members). I mean, in countries like Great Britain, the whole government is formed from the legislative branch.

What this is, is "peace in our time". If we just leave the monster alone, maybe it won't notice us.