"while declaring the UN 'irrelevant'."

Well you miss my point. The UN was declared irrelevant quite sometime ago by other administrations of both parties. What I see is that there's a persistent community demanding "international" cooperation for whom only the UN will do. They don't recognize that the UN is a club designed to prevent things that certain powers don't want to see happen. Its other functions happen or not by at the rich power's pleasure.

The UN is perfectly willing to participate, or rather France and Germany who've deadlocked the body are provided they get their say in how Iraq is managed. Ditto, NATO. Not the UN, because, of course, only the permanent members of the Security Counsel with veto power have any real say. France and Germany are still playing games trying to establish a coalition that will dominate the EU. They really don't care much what happens to Iraq, so long as it futhers their interests.

If this were really about international cooperation alone, the nations that are already participating with the US would be enough. They aren't because only rich ex-colonial powers are the only countries entitled to have a say, now aren't they?

My objection still remains. If you want UN participation, fine, just quit bitching when someone asks for it.