For Fear of Tea

by: Matt Singer

Wed Sep 15, 2010 at 09:50:34 AM MST

There's no better example in Montana of such fear than Dave Lewis's decision to call for withdrawal from the United Nations, a move that apparently Congressman Rehberg said could be "awkward" if it passed.

A few things here:

• Opposition to the United Nations is just really bizarre. It highlights a process worldview as opposed to a substantive one. The UN was largely built and has largely acted as a way for the US to be able to act as the world's superpower with some small amount of buy-in from the rest of the world. Wanting to leave it is really just a way of saying we shouldn't even have mechanisms for listening to foreign countries before embarking on bombing campaigns. As the Iraq invasion proved, membership in the UN does little to prevent us from acting when we want to. Leaving the UN and sacrificing our seat on the Security Council would actually probably embolden and strengthen our nation's critics, not weaken them.
• And what happened to Dave Lewis? Was this merely a pre-primary gambit? As far as issues to latch on to, this is pretty small fish. The Montana Legislature isn't going to actually trigger withdrawal from the UN. So it isn't a Krayton Kerns gun bill or a push to move the state to the silver standard. It could be worse news. But still, if you give a mouse a cookie...