Evansville Courier & Press , IN
Oct 20 2007
Armenian resolution
Pelosi’s stumble puts U.S.-Turkey relations in danger
Dan Thomasson, Scripps Howard News Service
Saturday, October 20, 2007
It is not unusual for members of Congress to put their own political
welfare above the nation’s interests. But every time it occurs, it
punctuates the fallibility of the system.
Take the current brouhaha over a resolution that would declare 92
years after the fact that the death of a million Armenians at the
hands of what was then the Ottoman Empire was genocide. If it walks
like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s a sure bet it’s a duck. But
what might seem like a harmless gesture to appease Armenian Americans
is threatening to cause a serious break in relations with Turkey, an
ally we can’t afford to lose.
One expects the speaker of the House to be far more responsible. But
what Nancy Pelosi seems to have forgotten is that her position makes
her the next in line to be president after the vice president, and
that may require putting the national interests ahead of political
expediency.
So ignoring the possible consequences of a diplomatic break, which
both Turkish and U.S. authorities warn is a real possibility, Pelosi
has allowed the politically mischievous resolution to be voted out of
committee. The result has been to increase the possibility of a
Turkish invasion of northern Iraq and the cutting off of vital supply
lines for U.S. troops.
Short of calling for reparations to the descendants of the 1915
victims and sending a nasty letter to every Turk, Pelosi and the
resolution’s sponsors couldn’t have done more to undercut American
interests. Nothing apparently said by a desperate White House backed
up by the last nine secretaries of state has so far been able to
dissuade the speaker who came to the high office promising to quell
incivility. Well, how does one spell bipartisanship now that it is
needed? No wonder the only approval rating lower than Bush’s belongs
to Congress.
Even if the process were halted now, experts believe, the committee
vote alone has caused severe harm to relations between the two
countries. There are, they say, enormous hard feelings among Turks
who increasingly believe that the United States is a one-way ally. As
a result, U.S. influence over actions that could be devastating to
this nation’s interests has diminished dramatically.
What seems terribly disappointing is that the speaker’s extreme
partisanship continues to pervade the atmosphere in the House. She
cut her teeth on the partisan ward politics of Baltimore and has
shown that side of her nature throughout her congressional career. If
ever there were a time to put that aside, it is now. She is a smart,
capable politician who certainly knows the consequences of such an
irresponsible action.
That is why it seems inconceivable that she would allow it to go
forward. The only explanation seems to be that she is concerned about
her own re-election in a liberal district where there is a strong
Armenian American presence. Her inability to change the direction of
the war in Iraq has been criticized. Her San Francisco opponent is
Cindy Sheehan, the anti-war activist whose shrill campaigning has
made inroads on Pelosi’s popularity.
Even if that is her worry, it is time for her and those with similar
concerns to dump this resolution in the Potomac.
t/20/armenian-resolution/