Turkey’s Top General: "The US Shot Itself in the Foot"

http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/3225.htm ^

[cool2007]

Last night, the House Foreign Affairs Committee passed a measure to approve calling the killings in Turkey during WWI genocide. The vote was 27-21, which seems to be right down party lines since there are 27 Dems and 21 Rep on the committee.

Turkey has said that consequences of the House voting and approving the measure "won't be pleasant".

According to Sec. Gates, approximately 70% of all cargo that goes into Iraq goes through Turkey.

So if the house decides to approve this measure calling the killings genocide and Turkey decides to kick the US out of their country, which is what they did to France, wouldn't this cripple the war in Iraq and force and early withdrawal?

[the invisib1e hand]

Yaşar Büyükanıt

wow, that's some name.

[RKV]

Allies don’t deny the passage of troops into a war zone, like the Turkish Parliament did in 2003. Turkey likes our money, but that’s about all.

[Still Thinking]

Turks must be stupid. This action is being taken by the people who DON’T benefit from Turkey’s cooperation, and are merely doing it to indirectly harm those who do (Bush, US military, etc.). In reality, the best way for Turks to stick a finger in the eye of those pushing this resolution is to somehow find a way to cooperate even MORE fully with the US military.

[sourcery]

There’s really only one morally valid question here: Did the Turks commit genocide against the Armenians during WWI? Yes or no?

If they did, then we are morally obligated to say so (if nothing else,) regardless of the consequences.

[maine-iac7]

wouldn't this cripple the war in Iraq and force and early withdrawal?

wouldn't this is a deliberate, with malice aforesight, move meant to cripple the war in Iraq and force and early withdrawal?

[cookcounty]

The Turkish Parliament should issue a resolution condemning US cutoff of funds to its ally in South Vietnam and the resulting murder of hundreds of thousands. They should mention Ted Kennedy’s willingness to feed Vietnamese children to the sharks in the South China Sea.

[cookcounty]

"There’s really only one morally valid question here: Did the Turks commit genocide against the Armenians during WWI? Yes or no?

If they did, then we are morally obligated to say so (if nothing else,) regardless of the consequences.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I am under the impression that this was already passed by the Congress before.

[sionnsar]

So if the house decides to approve this measure calling the killings genocide and Turkey decides to kick the US out of their country, which is what they did to France, wouldn't this cripple the war in Iraq and force and early withdrawal?

That's the whole idea.

[sionnsar]

Correct me if I am wrong, but I am under the impression that this was already passed by the Congress before.

Twice, according to Rush Limbaugh.

[sionnsar]

If they did, then we are morally obligated to say so (if nothing else,) regardless of the consequences.

How many times? Is once enough? Twice? Ten? A hundred? A million? A new daily resolution into perpetuity?

[steveo]

Twice before IIRC.

[El Gato]

It's not like the Armenian Genocide was *not* a genocide. But its also ancient history and was conducted by a previous government, the Ottoman Empire, not the current republican government, set up by and kept kept from "pollution" by the IslamoWackos by the Turkish army, originally under Ataturk. (From whence comes the expression "young turks". They overthrew the old corrupt government.) Might as well blame the current American friendly leaders of Japan and Germany for killing all those Jews and Chinese. (In fact that would be a little more appropriate, since fewer generations have passed since the events in question)

Yep we have been shot, but I'm not sure the impact was on our foot though, and we didn't do it. DemonRat politicians did it.

[go-ken-go]

Rush said that there already has been two earlier resolutions regarding this matter. So, the real question is why now, does the Dems want to bring this matter up?

[G8 Diplomat]

Lol, I was thinking the same. Turkish is a funky language. Did you know Aslan means ‘lion’ in Turkish? That’s where C.S. Lewis got the name. I thought that was cool...

[Cyber Liberty]

It was 9 effin’ decades ago. Don’t you find the Democrats’ timing odd in the least?

[Brilliant]

I would not say that the US shot itself in the foot. More like Nancy Pelosi shot us in the foot.

I guess she’s trying to make a case for more gun control.

[Redcloak]

Of course, the Turks said this the last time Congress passed a resolution like this. They'll huff and they'll puff and they'll stamp their feet, and then they'll get over it; like they did last time. Of course, it would all go away if they would admit that what the Ottomans did was genocide.

(Not that the Democrats actually care about the Armenians; they don't. And therein lies the irony. One of the excuses the Turks have offered for the Ottomans' behavior during WWI was that the Russians were attempting to stir up Armenian separatists. From what I've read, the Russians were probably doing just that. But, like the Democrats, they really didn't care what happened to the Armenian people. When things got messy, the Russians were nowhere to be found. And where to you think the Democrats will be when their mess hits the fan?)

[VeniVidiVici]

The question is why did the Democrats deem it necessary to do this now? Obviously the only answer is to damage relations with Turkey and damage the war effort in Iraq.

[DoughtyOne]

Turkey simply isn’t your typical Muslim nation. It has decent trade relations with Israel. Folks really need to wake up to what is going on here. As far as I am concerned, this guy’s comments are fairly accurate.