Dubya Reneges On Another Treaty

This time it's the International Criminal Court treaty of 1998.

(5/6/02)   Dubya unilaterally trashed another treaty today by sending a letter to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan stating that the US was withdrawing its signature.  Reaction from human rights groups was swift and critical.

The International Criminal Court was set up to fill a gap in International  justice to hold individuals criminally responsible for their actions in cases such as genocide and other war crimes.  This is a permanent version of special tribunals such as the Nuremburg trials of NAZI war criminals which began in 1948.

Colin Powell said on ABC's "This Week" that the US is the "leader in the world with respect to bringing people to justice".  Translation:  when you're The Law you're above The Law.

Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) summed it up nicely by saying "... these steps actually call into question our country's credibility in all multilateral endeavors." UK paper The Guardian was less charitable, including this latest in a list of "Broken Promises" it was clear to pin on the Bush Administration rather than the American government.  Included in The Guardian's list are Kyoto, Missile Defense, Overseas Aid, Steel Tariffs, and now the International Court.