In addition to the chronic resentment toward the United States for real and perceived instances of arrogance, the 54 United Nations members had a half dozen other excuses for denying it membership on the Commission on Human Rights. They could, for instance, have chosen the awkward handling of relations with China and Taiwan, the rejection of a world criminal court, the needless nudging of North Korea, the insouciant dismissal of the Kyoto Treaty on climate change, the hard line on Iraq, the death penalty, etc.

Whatever the reason, the United States has the opportunity and the means to demonstrate its commitment to human rights and show why it has been a place of hope for millions by supporting Secretary Gen. Kofi Annan’s request this week for more help to fight AIDS in Africa. And Congress could point out that the request for more support – the United States already is the largest single contributor to anti-AIDS campaigns globally – came first not from Mr. Annan but from a Republican senator.

Tennessee Sen. Bill Frist, who is both a surgeon and chairman of the Senate African Affairs Subcommittee, proposed last month that the United States commit $1 billion to fighting AIDS in Africa over the next two years, a sum that would double the total amount now spent on such programs. The amount is, of course, enormous, but given Congress and the White House’s willingness to toss around 10-year, trillion-dollar or more tax cuts, not unreasonable. AIDS has had a well-documented devastating effect on Africa, both its people and its economy. Helping to solve this tragedy is the humane thing to do and also in the interest of the United States to help promote political and economic stability.

Sen. Frist did not just suggest putting more money into the programs but also making them more effective. He had the General Accounting Office review how well previous U.S. contributions had been spent. The GAO came up with some suggestions for making the funding more effective. The U.S. rule prohibiting funds from going to treat members of foreign militaries, for instance, fails to acknowledge that HIV-AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa affects 10 percent to 60 percent of troops. In Tanzania, the military rate is twice that of the general population. And the congressional decision to restrict funding for family planning groups that advocate abortions reduces distribution of condoms, an effective AIDS weapon.

The United States will have an opportunity next year to rejoin the Human Rights Commission, and if Secretary of State Colin Powell is smart he will have more durable assurances than the ones he got last week. Meantime, the United States has responsibilities that supercede U.N. politics – like advancing the cause of human rights around the world.