The UN's Quiet Disgrace: You have to hunt for news on the UN's shameful money-laundering deal with Saddam, Oil-for-Food, by which Saddam prospered and special friends and relatives of the UN (not to mention pro-Saddam western politicians) prospered. See Claudia Rosett today for the latest:

Within a year of the start of Cotecna's services, its contract was further amended to add charges above those initially agreed to, including a hike in the "per man day fee" to $600 from an initial $499. This higher fee "was exactly equal to the offer of the second lowest bidder," say the auditors, adding that the Procurement Division and Oil-for-Food "should have gone for a fresh bid."

If this kind of bid-fixing anomaly showed up in a Halliburton contract, you can be damn sure every paper in America would be tut-tutting about it.