Yep...they're a big help.

China and Russia blocked UN condemnation of North Korea as the Stalinist state was set to become the first country to withdraw from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Isn't that nice?

Still any apologists out there for the behavior of China and Russia? Or is this all still somehow America's fault?

And here's the level of leadership shown by Kofi Annan on this issue:

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said he was unable to predict what action, if any, the Security Council might take in the future.

"I think the next step is really to get the parties talking and to find a format that will be acceptable to both parties and bring them to the table to talk," Annan said.

Both parties? Will somebody please, for the love of Pete, tell me why in the hell Kofi Annan, of all people, is framing this as a conflict that only involves two countries, presumably the United States and North Korea?

I've been harping on this issue, and I'm gonna keep harping on it until I'm blue in the face. Nearly every critic of the Iraqi War bitched about our unilateralism, lack of diplomacy, cowboyism, "going it alone".

And now as far as I can tell we're trying our damnedest to work as multilaterally as possible on the North Korea issue and we're being told to handle it alone.

Where, oh readers and fellow bloggers, is the condemnation of Russia and China for their behavior? So many voices willing to bay and crow at the behavior of America seem remarkably silent when it comes to the horrid diplomacy of other nations.

Let's be clear: China and Russia are as we speak essentially endorsing North Korea's withdrawal from the Non-Proliferation Treaty. They are placating a dangerous regime's current efforts to churn out nukes by the truckload. They are turning a blind eye to the vitriolic rhetoric spewing out of North Korea and the overt, threatening behavior which includes test firing missiles near Japan and violating South Korean airspace.

Meanwhile, the U.S. is pressing the issue in the U.N., and what are they doing about it?

Jack squat.

Somebody want to try again to tell me why in the hell we should keep the U.N. around? And does somebody else want to explain to me why the handling of North Korea by China, Russia, and the U.N. doesn't stink to holy hell?