Transparency At The U.N.? Oh, Yeah, Like That'll Happen...

Claudia Rosett dicussess the latest Oil-For-Food machinations, specificially the manner in which Benon Sevan is hoist upon his own petard of secrecy. The stench from Turtle Bay is nearly overwhelming:

The United Nations did not disclose the names of the contractors, the price, quantity, or quality of goods. The U.N. provided no public accounting for the billions in bank balances, the interest collected, the letters of credit amended or even the $1.4 billion cut of Saddam's oil sales collected by Annan's secretariat to run the program (from which the Volcker inquiry is now drawing its $34 million budget, for which there has also been no public accounting).

I have only determined one thing the U.N. is good at; covering its own hindquarters...