CNSNews.com Morning Editor
February 02, 2005

(CNSNews.com) - Kofi Annan is following his anti-Bush political agenda in appointing former President Bill Clinton as a special U.N. envoy for tsunami relief, a United Nations critic says.

"Mr. Annan has consistently tried to find outspoken and high-profile U.S. critics of the Bush administration and put them in positions where they will have access to microphones," said Tom Kilgannon, president of the Freedom Alliance. "In Bill Clinton, Kofi Annan has landed his whale," he added.

Bill Clinton, in his role as tsunami envoy, will have the opportunity to audition on the world stage for the role of U.N. secretary-general, Kilgannon said. Annan is due to retire next year.

"Mark Malloch Brown, who was just named Kofi Annan's new chief of staff, is certainly earning his money," Kilgannon said.

"Not only does the appointment of Clinton pave the way for the first American to take the post of Secretary-General in the years ahead (and ensure the longevity of the institution); but the timing is such that it will overshadow the release of the first installment of the Volker commission showing just how corrupt the U.N. was in dealing with the Oil-for-Food scandal."

The Freedom Alliance, co-founded by Lt. Col. Oliver North, describes its mission as promoting freedom, defending U.S. sovereignty, and maintaining a strong national defense.