I really nominate Annan for the Most Reliable US Tool EVER award: " Despite overwhelming support for the Palestinians in the U.N. General Assembly and the Security Council, U.N. officials are making it clear that they will no longer have unrestricted political contacts with the Palestinian Authority. "The situation before and after the election is not the same," Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan, told reporters Tuesday, adding that the new policy requires U.N. officials to seek permission from Annan before talking to the Hamas-led Palestinian government." (thanks Naseer)