Now it may be because I’m this horrible, horrible neoconservative Right-Wing Death Beast and everything – but I have to admit: articles like this confuse me.

The United States faced increasing pressure on Tuesday as the Palestinian quest for statehood gained support from Turkey and other countries, even as the Obama administration sought an 11th-hour compromise that would avoid a confrontation at the United Nations next week.

With only days to go before world leaders gather in New York, the maneuvering became an exercise in brinkmanship as the administration wrestles with roiling tensions in the region, including a sharp deterioration of relations between three of its closest allies in the region: Egypt, Israel and Turkey.

…But then again, I am a neocon RWDB, which means that I take the UN as seriously as it deserves to be treated… which is to say: when it comes to Israel, not at all.

Really, the procedure is simple: the USA vetoes anything important and binding in the Security Council, which is the only nexus of even marginal power that the UN has; and you let the General Assembly pass whatever meaningless little proclamations that the parasites and bottom-feeders come up with, in between planning sessions for their next sex trafficking scandal. If anybody objects to this – or points out contradictions in rhetoric – you scowl at them, remind them that the US foots 22% of the bill for this useless relic of the Cold War, grimly hint that opposition to that last fact is a popular political football, point out that the Turtle Bay area would be worth a fortune on the New York real estate market, and idly note that “US out of the UN/UN out of the US” is not quite the crank position it used to be. Then you pass around a few theater tickets, or whatever it is that they use to smooth over the hurt feelings of low- to mid-rank sycophants, and you go on with your day.

That’s how the pros do it – and the Obama administration can still turn and do it, pretty much on a dime. If doing this somehow embarrasses them (hey, there’s a first time for everything), Sec State Clinton can always blame it on domestic opposition, which would have the twin bonuses of: being well-understood by her target audience; and, well, kind of true.

Moe Lane (crosspost)