Note that the standard liberal line is that DeLay has to step down the moment he’s suspected of something, but we have to have actual proof in the case of Annan. Is there a mirror-image double standard among conservatives? I don’t think so: DeLay hasn’t presided over an institution that is enmeshed in possibly the largest political-financial scandal ever, and then stonewalled the investigation. (Which is not to say that Annan is the only party responsible here.) While I am not enthusiastic about the U.N., it does not seem obvious to me that Annan’s staying is the way to salvage it. The DLC, no part of the “right-wing commentariat,” is wiser about this than the FT.