[struwwelpeter]

I wonder if this whole deal has been simply GWB's way of getting the US out of the UN.

[AntiGuv]

I wonder if this whole deal has been simply GWB's way of getting the US out of the UN.

That would be a remarkably foolish move, IMHO, which I rather doubt bears any part in this. I suspect there's a clear intent to diminish the authority of the United Nations in certain areas, but certainly not a desire to withdraw. The global backlash would be substantial, to say the very least.