United Nations Gets Ready for President Bush

It's global leader week in the city, and many who work, live and travel through East Midtown know that as intense security and more traffic are evident (plea from the Mayor: "Take mass transit"), especially as the President will address the United Nations today. Yesterday, President George Bush and First Lady Laura attended a conference on global literacy sponsored by the White House at the New York Public Library, but the bigger question was whether or not the President would come face to face with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Since Bush refuses to discuss Iran's nuclear program at the United Nations until Iran suspends uranium enrichment (though French President Jacques Chirac suggested that Iran doesn't necessarily need to suspend its program yesterday), people were atwitter at the possibility of a run-in.

However, given the U.S.-Iran tensions, the NY Sun urges for Bush to take some action with Ahmadinejad, flat-out suggesting Bush should get Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly or District Attorney Robert Morgenthau to arrest Ahmadinejad! The Daily News is just as upset about having the Iranian leader in the city (" it's the price we pay for being the site city of the, you should pardon the expression, world peacemaking body"), it leaves things at telling him, " Welcome to New York, you medieval goon."

Starting this morning at 9AM, protesters will be marching to the United Nations to protest the war (details from United for Peace and Justice here). Also today: An editorial in the NY Times asks President Bush to "take the lead" on stopping the genocide in Darfur when he addresses the U.N.'s General Assembly. And starting tomorrow is the Clinton Global Initiative. The First Lady is a featured speaker at the event, and President Bush may attend. Did you see former President Clinton on The Daily Show last night? While it's hardly a hardball show, Clinton was magnetic as he discussed his new post-White House work. We'll have to wait for clips to go up on YouTube.