While I agree with others in the blogosphere in being outraged [1] that OSCE inspectors monitors will be present for the November elections [2] (at the invitation of Colin Powell), I think we should keep things in perspective. After all, what will the OSCE do if they find anything amiss? What can they do?
A European alliance has no sovereignty over the Constitution, at least not according to the Constitution—with federal judges citing international law these days, who knows if the Constitution will even be evoked in federal law these days?
What is likely to happen if the inspectors (oops, I did it again!) monitors find something is that they will do…nothing. Super-satirist Scrappleface has the best take [3]:
Hans Blix, the former chief weapons inspector for the United Nations, has agreed to serve as chief monitor of U.S. elections on behalf of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), however Mr. Blix said he needs more time to do the job right.
“November is just around the corner,” said Mr. Blix, , “My European team will need much more time than that to be ready. We’ll need six-to-nine months just to discover if there are, in fact, elections in the United States.”
Yep, the full strength and resolve of a European coalition will be upon us if there is left so much as a hanging chad. I can already see Jacques Chirac inspecting ballots. Democrats and Republicans alike should be concerned at this—we didn’t spill blood for our freedom only to give it away.