THE THUGS' TRIBUNAL

The rogues' method this time: creating an International Criminal Court.

President Bill Clinton signed the treaty establishing the court, but never sent it to the Senate for ratification.

Now Team Bush has announced it is pulling out of the deal altogether.

Three cheers for Team Bush.

Like so many other Orwellian international charades, this new body has the trappings of something Americans of good will would want to support: Its stated goal is to bring war criminals to justice.

But the court would be free to target whomever it pleased - including Americans - and for whatever reason it wanted.

There'd be no checks and balances on its formidable powers. Americans would have to "trust" the court to act in good faith - and not to pursue an anti-American political agenda.

As columnist Jack Kelly points out on the opposing page, there'll be nothing approaching due process in the way this court will proceed. Everything is to be done in secret - and there'll be no juries, just judges.

Given the records of so many nations who'd influence it, the United States would be crazy to defer to such a court. Few of the world's countries even come close to America, in terms of their respect for law, justice and human rights.

The world bodies they dominate - the United Nations, in particular - have despicable records, despite their pious facades.

At the United Nations, murderous despots come together and play statesmen. Empowered by the respect accorded the world body, these thugs have found a lofty forum from which to bash America, and Israel.

Last year, the U.N. Human Rights Commission actually denied Washington a seat - while welcoming terror havens like Sudan, Syria and Libya. Last month, it passed a resolution that endorsed Palestinian terrorism.

Meanwhile, a Belgian court has tried to haul in the prime minister of Israel, Ariel Sharon, for 1982 "war crimes" in Lebanon. Last month, the United Nations set up a kangaroo court to hang the Jewish state for a nonexistent "massacre" in Jenin.

If given real power, how long would it take the International Criminal Court to target Americans for war crimes?

It might start in Afghanistan. Or anywhere America is fighting terrorism.

"We must ensure that our soldiers and government officials are not exposed to the prospect of politicized prosecutions and investigations," Undersecretary of State Marc Grossman noted.

"Our president is committed to a robust American engagement in the world to defend freedom and defeat terror; we cannot permit the ICC to disrupt that vital mission."

Well said.