I don't think we should withdraw from the U.N. It is irrelevant and provides a lot of modern comic relief.

The USA was the prime instigator of the United Nations and lobbied intensively to site its base in New York so that it could keep tabs on it! Withdraw from it by all means though it would be better to create a new, global initiative where all peoples of the world would have a say on global matters concerning everyone,and naturally, given its nature, it cannot always suit American interests.Probably the best location for this new body might be Geneva, in the neutral country of Switzerland. UPDATE: It is precisely because of the loss, as we have seen, of lives on both sides, that the UN was trying to find alternative ways of dealing with Saddam. Yes, it is slower and more convoluted - and yes, there are times when one must act - but at least all avenues should have been exhausted. Bush had the urgency of his agenda to go in, irrespective of any diplomatic outcome. Don't believe it was entirely to help the Iraqis.

Remember when your parents told you to choose your friends carefully? Well, the United States has to apply this rule with the United Nations. Now I know I'll get a bunch of berate comments about how I'm ignorant or think that anyone who disagrees with America is evil, but the United Nations does not care about the welfare of this country. And no, any of you radical liberals out there, it does not care about the welfare of other countries either. Rather the U.N cares about serving as a forum for small socialist countries (that only can dream of becoming like the U.S) so that they can in turn persuade important countries to go against anything the U.S says. The U.N wants to have the U.S be available for anything THEY want and need from us, but heaven forbid we actually need them!! If they refuse to support us and discourage us, then why don't we send them packing? I'm sure France must have a nice opening for them (lol)!!

No, we won't withdraw, under any circumstances. This organization, which the Clinton Administration, through stupid, benign neglect, allowed to become rampantly anti-US, through bitter jealousy, will continue to frustrate itself by continuing operations as usual, but the US will continue to manipulate the UN to its own purposes. As long as Kerry is defeated in the 2004 election, don't look for Bill Clinton to be nominated Secretary General of the UN, much as he desires to be. The UN, in spite of its incredible ineptness, will continue to serve as a hostile but useful tool to republican US administrations, and democrat administrations will continue to allow it to drift further and further into anti-American irrelevance.

I think it is a great idea! We fund 75% of the U.N. now. There are 30 or more countries that are members of the U.N. that hate America. We need to get the U.S. out of the U.N and the U.N out of the U.S. We are the U.N. anyway!

Not during the campaign, but I imagine GW pulling us out if he's re-elected.

What a beautiful thought - free at last from the wasteful, ineffective, anti-American United Notions (not nations). It won't happen because this would be too good a thing to happen in our world right now.

We have our uses for the United Nations. I don't believe that we need any authorization from this organization to defend ourselves unilaterally if need be. Howard Dean caused an uproar last year when he said that we should never go to war if the United Nations says no. To give up such power is ridiculous. The state is the highest actor in the international system and it's interests are paramount. Dean should have lost the nomination just on that count, not because of the scream or his weak organization. That does not mean however that we should stop cooperating across borders. The UN mediates in a variety of functional areas throughout the world. Having consensus in the international community really goes a long way in resolving certain conflicts as well. Spreading the cost of war is particularly helpful; this is the lesson we should have garnered from the Iraq war. It gives a certain cause more legitimacy as well. It's not a perfect organization, but the UN has done wonders for cultural preservation, peacekeeping operations, and international food aid. The UN is a good place to vent and resolve these matters. It would be a shocker if we pulled out of this organization before the election. Bush wouldn't do it, he's waiting for after the election! There are some on the fringes who think that this is the first step towards world government, in all actuality there are other organizations that are more focused on that goal than this one. Isolationism is not an option in today's world.

Never. Of course if the radical right got this to happen, it would facilitate their defeat, so I'd actually appreciate it. That anyone highly-placed actually thinks it would help to disengage from the rest of the world I find scary; that some of the ignorant think this way neither surprises nor disturbs me: like the poor, the stupid we always have with us.

We should not have gotten involved with anything called United Nations. The US and other countries should act on thier own, not on what others think. I pledge alleigance to the US, not to the UN. As of now, the UN supports terrorists and corrupt dictatorships. Unbelievable.