Bush welcomes NATO expansion.

In a March 29 ceremony on the White House's South Lawn, President George Bush welcomed the seven newest members of NATO, all former members of the Soviet Bloc.

"Fifty-five years ago, the representatives of 12 nations gathered here in Washington to sign the North Atlantic Treaty, which established the most successful military alliance in history," said President Bush. "Today, we proudly welcome Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. We welcome them into the ranks of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization."

The president reminded those present: "NATO's core mission remains the same: the defense of its members against any aggression." That means U.S. military forces, already spread thin in operations across the globe, now have even more potential conflicts to become involved in. According to the president, the new members have "replaced dictators with democratic governments." However, none of our new NATO "allies" has conducted a thorough purging of Communists from their legislative, executive and judicial branches, or from their militaries or police and intelligence agencies.