Republicans in Congress should heed Bush's advice

No one would accuse President George W. Bush of being an internationalist -- compared to his predecessor, Bill Clinton, he comes across as an isolationist -- so when he criticizes the House of Representatives for withholding some overdue payments to the United Nations, Republican leaders in Congress would do well to pay attention.
Bush is right in saying that the United States entered into an agreement with the U.N. after "good faith" negotiations and that it cannot go back on its word. That's a sensible position for the world's lone superpower to take.
As we have long argued, the international organization is needed more than ever in these uncertain times, and it would be foolhardy for the United States to relinquish its leadership role. In order to influence the thinking of U.N. members on such important issues as political and economic freedom, the U.S. must be at the table.
Reaction: Like many Americans we were taken aback by the ouster of the United States from the U.N. Human Rights Commission -- especially since several rogue nations either kept their seats or were added to the 53-member panel. However, we are not willing to march in lockstep with the likes of Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Ill., chairman of the International Relations Committee, who reacted to the obvious slap by persuading the House to withhold $244 million of the $826 million that Congress had agreed to pay in back dues to the U.N.
Last year, at the urging of President Clinton and a green light from the world body's chief critic in Congress, Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C., the U.S. paid $100 million.
Now, Republican leaders say that the $244 million will be released only after this country's membership on the human rights commission is restored. Such threats will not work. There are too many nations that already view us as the neighborhood bully, while our friends find it increasingly difficult to support us when we act in such a heavy-handed fashion.
As Secretary of State Colin Powell put it in urging Congress to show restraint, "we should not now try to find a way to punish the U.N." The payment of back dues should not be tied to membership on the human rights commission. Every member of the United Nations has a responsibility to pay its fair share.
Humanitarianism: The humanitarian mission of the United Nations must not get lost in the rhetoric emanating from Capitol Hill as a result of the United States' losing its commission seat. The Senate should restore the $244 million that the House withheld, and then the Bush administration should ensure that the House-Senate conference committee acts accordingly.