Twist Me Up And Smoke Me Out

"I am not going to dignify a comment by the Venezuelan president to the president of the United States," Rice told reporters in New York. The main U.S. seat in the assembly hall was empty as Chavez spoke, though the U.S. Ambassador John Bolton told The Associated Press that a "junior note-taker" was present, as is customary "when governments like that speak."

now, correct me if i'm wrong, but is this the tone we as american people want our leaders to take concerning government leaders of other nations who stand opposed to our actions and stances? while i find chavez's rhetoric to be just that (words to whip up the emotions of those already allied with him) i find it hard to accept that our representative would not even be present for the speech. i could understand walking out in protest if the language turned violent or juvenile (as it obviously did). but isn't bolton paid to attend UN meetings? and isn't he in a sense acting just like those our government dismisses out of hand? it doesn't say much for our maturity, diplomacy skills or respect for international bodies to just refuse to show up during the working week. perhaps, tomorrow i'll refuse to go to work, because it's krispy kreme donut day and i only like the ones that come in the pink boxes.
seriously, though, we act as if the UN exists solely to follow our every whim. yes, their headquarters reside on our soil (which i think is a good thing for the general physical safety of the building and its delegates...for the time being), but they do not answer to us, never have and never should. so, why does our administration get away with this type of 10th grade attitude? why aren't we getting so pissed that the national polls show us ready to vote for anyone not an incumbent in order to make our government act more in line with the rest of the world or even our popular thought (which has nothing in common with what our government has been about for the past 5 years)? i don't ask these questions, because i'm naive. i already know the answers. i'm just curious if any of you have thoughts about this that might make me think a bit sideways about the issues.

p.s. and, because katie never saw this video, i'd like to repost its link now and may she have sweet golden slumbers after viewing it (once you're at the link, click on "the big finale").