Time to Say Goodbye: Bush and the U.N.

Bush discreetly bid farewell to the UN – once the scene of major speeches

The U.S. president puts an end to eight years in the scene

(New York)

With six weeks to the presidential elections that will end his mandate, George W. Bush has chosen to say goodbye to the UN in a discreet manner, very different from that taken upon arrival to the White House. The U.S. president, who has come to New York to offer a reception for representatives of countries participating in the UN General Assembly, today offered his speech to more than 120 chief executives anxious about the consequences of the storm passing through the American financial system. “The president will explain our plan,” stated the White House spokesman, Dana Perino, and will try to convince the rest of the world that it is necessary to do everything possible to prevent the spread of the crisis.

Unlike other years, Bush has no planned bilateral meetings with other leaders. In addition to his meeting with the secretary-general, Ban Ki Moon, who will speak on issues like UN reform, Georgia or Zimbabwe, he will only meet with the new Pakistani president, Asif Ali Zardari.

The Hour Has Arrived

Everything ends. The days when Bush used the UN to trumpet the start of a military process in Iraq and its alleged weapons of mass destruction seem so far away now.