As I predicted yesterday, the Bush administration scored another foreign-policy victory in an arena where they are supposedly "inept" -- at the UN:

The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a resolution on the June 30 transfer of power in Iraq.

The U.S.- and British-backed resolution gives additional international support to the new interim Iraqi government and adds more international support for the U.S.-led coalition force.

All 15 members of the council voted for the resolution.

Not only did Bush avoid a veto, not only did he avoid a single No, he didn't even get an abstention -- even Syria voted for the resolution. He didn't bend to French and German demands to allow Iraq to have a veto on American command of the CPA, although he pledged to work with the interim government on missions, which we would undoubtedly do anyway. (After all, the last thing we need is the new Iraqi government constantly bad-mouthing the security forces there.) Now that the Iraqi government has been recognized by the UN, the agreement with the Iraqis to keep the CPA on hand for security also has been legitimized, and the occupation has ended. The Iraqis understand the necessity of keepin the troops where they are:

On subject of the need for coalition or multinational forces in Iraq, Zebari said: "We need these forces. It is an Iraqi need, more than an American or coalition need. The consequences would be catastrophic."

Zebari said "withdrawal would create a vacuum and we, the Iraqis, are not ready to fill it. There would be the possibility of a junior Saddam coming up again."

It's a lesson one would hope the leftists who constantly demonstrate for retreat would learn, but I suspect the unreconstructed Stalinists behind International ANSWER want exactly what Zebari fears.

UPDATE: Jettison at Blogs for Bush asks: "BTW, now that we have the U.N.'s blessing, will Spain be sending it's troops back in, like it said it would?" Don't alter your breathing habits waiting for their return, Jet.

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