I just don’t understand
Posted by BrianSomebody please tell me why the House of Representatives is trying to pass a resolution labeling the murder of Armenians during WWI as genocide. I’ve been hearing about it, but I just don’t understand the motivation. Why would we want to piss off a current strategic ally with a symbolic resolution about something that happened nearly a century ago on another continent without our involvement?
When Alabama passed a resolution apologizing for its role in the bondage of humans I could at least understand the motivation even if it was foolish symbolism. This state contributed to the immeasurable suffering of a great many people. The apology hurt no one. Why not do it. What the U.S. House is doing is a wholly different and smacks of reckless undermining of our foreign policy. But maybe I just don’t understand.
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October 15th, 2007 at 7:42 am
Well we have a political government and this is politics, plain and simple, but not the politics that it has been labeled. California has a big Armenian lobby and look who chairs the committee that took up the bill and voted on it??? Tom Lantos from California. So this doesn’t have ANYTHING to do with war policy as people have claimed. In any case George Bush advocated officially recognizing this act as genocide when he ran for President in 2000, but doesn’t want what he himself advocated because he started a war. Personally I think it is in our interest to not take this vote right now, but it is not a bad thing. The Turkish people/government are VERY sensitive to this issue and in their words it would “permanently damage” our relationship with them. Unfortunately for us Turkey is the main way we get personnel and weapons in and out of Iraq.
October 15th, 2007 at 11:23 am
Well, I’m sure that Rep. Paul will vote against it - another point on which I agree with the good doctor.
TalEast - Pres. Bush didn’t ’start a war’. The Afghan War is a response to 9/11; the Iraq War is a response to violation of the terms of the Gulf War I cease fire. Maybe you don’t agree with the Iraq campaign, but it was a lawful continuation of the Gulf I war, not a ’start’.
October 15th, 2007 at 1:31 pm
So because of Lantos’s big group of elderly Armenians we are pissing off Turkey? Are the Dems trying to put Bush out on a limb somehow with this?
October 15th, 2007 at 7:55 pm
I doubt the resolution itself has anything to do with war policy. The timing of the resolution, however, is pure interference. I don’t think I’ve heard a single person object to the content of the resolution, other than the Turks of course. But the advocates of the resolution are pursuing it with the full knowledge of its effect on our foreign policy.