Bush Pulls a Clinton Clinton's secret PDD 25 - putting U.S. troops under foreign U.N. command - remains in effect Faced with evidence that U.S. soldiers are continuing to wear U.N. uniforms and serve under foreign U.N. commanders, Bush Administration officials are insisting that they are still under U.S. command and report to President Bush, their commander-in-chief. This is the same bogus and unconvincing rationale offered by the Clinton Administration and U.N. apologists to justify the transformation of U.S. military personnel into mercenaries for the world organization. The latest justification of this policy is a letter from William Imbrie, Director, Office of Peacekeeping and Humanitarian Operations, in the State Department's Bureau of International Organization Affairs. (see attachment). The problem with his justification of U.S. soldiers wearing the United Nations uniform (he denies there is such a thing, even though he concedes U.S. soldiers wear the U.N. blue beret and U.N. shoulder patch and report to foreign commanders) is that it makes then-candidate Bush's promise never to place U.S. troops under U.N. "command" an empty promise that never had any real significance or meaning. But Bush knew -- and millions of Americans knew -- that it was a response to the Michael New case, in which Clinton ordered a U.S. Army soldier to wear the U.N. uniform and report to a foreign commander. This is the same policy that is being continued under Bush! President Clinton's secret Presidential Decision Directive (PDD) 25 forced U.S. soldiers to wear U.N. uniforms and report to foreign U.N. commanders. This policy resulted in the court-martial and discharge of Michael New, who refused to follow this illegal and unconstitutional order. The outrage that greeted this case prompted Bush to make his promise that he would "never" place U.S. troops under U.N. command. Clinton's PDD 25 claimed that U.S. soldiers transformed into U.N. soldiers were still under U.S. command and that they were only "under the operational control of a foreign commander." Similarly, Ted Turner's Better World Fund claimed that, "As Commander-in-Chief the President never gives up his command authority over U.S. troops." This is the same rationale now being offered by the Bush officials to justify the continued involvement of several dozen U.S. troops wearing U.N. "blue helmets" and reporting to foreign commanders in seven different U.N. military missions. Bush officials claim that U.S. soldiers are under U.N. "control," not "command," as if candidate Bush had himself made such a Clintonesque distinction. Legally, the wearing of U.N. uniforms and service under foreign U.N. commanders has to be justified by Clinton's PDD 25, which remains in effect until it is superseded. It is past time for Bush to revoke it and carry out his promise to terminate U.S. military involvement in U.N.-controlled military missions. Clinton's vice president Al Gore lost in 2000, and many of Clinton's candidates lost on November 5 of this year. But Clinton's pro-U.N. policy remains in effect, despite candidate Bush's promise that he would never put U.S. troops under U.N. command. And when faced with the fact that they have been caught supervising the continued implementation of a scandalous Clinton policy, Bush staffers rely on the same old deceptive arguments of the Clinton Administration. Save our soldiers, Mr. President, and clean house.              Printer-friendly version Click here to be added to our mailing list.