Legislation similar to this has come up repeatedly in Congress, yet it's always been defeated - in 2000, because of pressure from the Clinton administration. But if the resolution passes the House and Senate now, the Turks plan to evict us from Incirlik airbase in southeastern Turkey, to halt our military over-flight privileges and to shut down the supply routes into northern Iraq. That's what the Democrats are aiming at. This resolution isn't about justice for the Armenians. Not this time. It's a stunningly devious attempt to impede our war effort in Iraq and force premature troop withdrawals. The Dems calculate that, without those flights and convoys, we won't be able to keep our troops adequately supplied... It's a brilliant ploy - the Dems get to stab our troops in the back, but lay the blame off on the Turks... For the Democrats in Congress, it looks like a cost-free strategy. For our troops? When did the Dems give a damn about our troops? This resolution isn't a stand in favor of historical justice. It's an end-run that ducks behind the bench. It's one of the most cynical betrayals in our legislative history - of our troops, of Armenian-Americans, of the Kurds under threat from the Turkish military and of the people of Iraq.
Too bad that it’s too soon to say that the beeotch is toast. This suits the purposes of Hillary Clinton though.
Pelosi Says Bush Hasn’t Phoned Her About Turkey and Genocide
New York Times | 10/14/07 | brian knowlton
Posted on 10/15/2007 3:34:52 PM EDT by Dane
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1911553/posts
“The House speaker, one of four Congressional leaders to appear on the Sunday talk shows, repeated her vow to move the genocide question to the full House for debate now that the House Foreign Affairs Committee has passed it. But when George Stephanopoulos asked the key question — how would she react if Mr. Bush or Defense Secretary Robert Gates called her to say that they were ‘just certain that this is going to put our military at risk’ — she replied: ‘The president hasn’t called me on it, so that’s hypothetical. He hasn’t called me on it.’”
[consider yourself ‘called on it’ now, beeotch]
Pelosi Wavering on Armenian Resolution
ABC
Posted on 10/16/2007 6:30:56 PM EDT by Republican Red
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1912138/posts
“Pelosi, as recently as Sunday on ‘This Week’, has repeatedly said she would call the controversial but nonbinding resolution for a vote despite the opposition of the Bush administration and warnings that it could damage U.S. relations with Turkey... At least seven House members have withdrawn as co-sponsors of the bill and several more are expected to follow. Key Pelosi ally Rep. John Murtha, D-Penn., is also lobbying against a vote. Key House members continue to canvass members but don’t expect a vote this year.”
Democrats split on genocide resolution
The Hill | October 16, 2007 | Jim Snyder
Posted on 10/16/2007 4:49:26 PM EDT by jazusamo
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1912098/posts
“Reps. Alcee Hastings of Florida, John Murtha of Pennsylvania, Robert Wexler of Florida and Steve Cohen and John Tanner, both of Tennessee, will participate in the news conference... Despite the pushback, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has indicated she would bring the controversial resolution to the floor. California is home to a significant number of Armenian-Americans, including some who came to the United States after fleeing the World War I-era upheaval... During his presidency... Bill Clinton... worked to block an Armenian genocide resolution from passing the House.”
[fixed that last sentence to remove the implication that President Reagan tried to block such a resolution]
Key Democrats oppose Armenian bill (including Reps. Murtha, Skelton)
Reuters on Yahoo | 10/16/07 | Susan Cornwell
Posted on 10/16/2007 8:00:34 PM EDT by NormsRevenge
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1912176/posts
“Ronald Reagan, a Californian, was the only president to publicly call the killings genocide.”
Dems Withdraw Support of Armenian Genocide Resolution
Associated Press | October 16, 2007 | Unknown
Posted on 10/16/2007 8:14:04 PM EDT by decimon
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1912181/posts
“The loss of support is a major setback to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill, who have fiercely defended the resolution to Republicans and the Bush administration as a moral imperative in condemning the World War I-era killings of up to 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman Turks.”
Support Wanes in House for Genocide Vote [Turkey]
New York Times | 10/17/07 | Carl Hurlse
Posted on 10/17/2007 12:13:52 AM EDT by advance_copy
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1912296/posts
“House members from both parties have begun to withdraw their support from a resolution backed by the Democratic leadership that would condemn as genocide the mass killings of Armenians nearly a century ago... Until Tuesday, the measure appeared on a path to House passage, with strong support from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.”
Gep’s Lobbying Was A Turkey
(Dick Gephardt couldn’t get Pelosi to withdraw resolution support)
NY Post | 10/13/07 | Robert Novak
Posted on 10/15/2007 6:52:24 PM EDT by Libloather
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1911624/posts
“Former Majority Leader Dick Gephardt, a registered lobbyist for Turkey, failed several months ago to get his successor as top House Democrat, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, to withdraw her support from a long-pending resolution condemning alleged Turkish genocide of Armenians in 1915... Pelosi has pledged House action this year on the genocide resolution that in the past was blocked by Dennis Hastert, her Republican predecessor as speaker. In addition to Gephardt, the Turkish government also hired a top Republican lobbyist: Bob Livingston, former chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.”