What's the deal with the Turkey thing?

[Sadie4629]

Doesn't make a lot of sense to intentionally offend another country over something that happened so long ago. Doesn't the Congress have better things to do with their time than this? Why now, instead of 50, 75, or 90 years ago?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

1. I say we close the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C.

There are tensions right now between the U.S. and Iran, and it wouldn't make any sense to offend them.

[atreides1]

9. US and Iran are now allies?

I didn't realize that Iran was a NATO ally, or that it provided port and airbases for our use!

Can you tell us when this alliance between Iran and NATO was ratified, I must have missed it.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

13. Well if we're allies...

then they'd have no problem with the bill, right?

[seemslikeadream]

2. Ask Condo and Gates

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x61450

Clinton was able to tamp it down, why not georgie?


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2025709

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2024996

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2024434

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=103&topic_id=313890&mesg_id=313927

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=2024610&mesg_id=2024610

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=2024410&mesg_id=2024410

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=2023108&mesg_id=2023108

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=3596584&mesg_id=3596730

[babylonsister]

3. Here's the straight scoop from Juan Cole:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x313890

[texanshatingbush]

4. Unfortunately it's a Dem thing

Deja vu all over again. Only this time it sounds like some leading Dems are pushing their politics onto our foreign policy. As this blows up in their face it'll be interesting to see how they extract themselves while the repugs are mining another political bonanza.

[MrCoffee]

11. it's not just a Dem thing

check out the membership of the Congressional Armenian Caucus, the California delegation particularly

http://www.armenpac.org/110thCongressionalCaucus.pdf

here's a link to the history of this particular resolution. it goes back to at least 1983

http://www.aaainc.org/index.php?id=374

[renie408]

21. Ummm...aren't you a Dem? n/t

[texanshatingbush]

23. I may be a Dem but I'm not a blind and stupid

As per mrcoffee's link http://www.armenpac.org/110thCongressionalCaucus.pdf
the committee consists primarily of Dems in a Dem majority congress so they have control and responsibility.

Below is just a sample of the resolution. They're wringing their hands over human rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide issues that occurred during WWI. Give me break, focus on these issues as they are occuring now, on their watch, like in Iraq.



110TH CONGRESS (2007-2008)

S.RES.106: A resolution calling on the President to ensure that the foreign policy of the United States reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to human rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the United States record relating to the Armenian Genocide

[wuushew]

5. kick

:kick:

[AngryAmish]

6. Bush is so stupid

We need all the international support we can get right now and he goes and offends Turkey. Turkey is helping with Iraq and if pissed off enough might invade Kurdistan.

Bush is so stupid.

[seemslikeadream]

7. actually it's congress not bush offending Turkey

he said he'll veto it

[wuushew]

10. how do veto a non-binding resolution?

there is nothing to veto since is a statement of Congressional opinion.

[seemslikeadream]

14. President Bush came as close as a president comes to publicly begging Congress not to pass the resol

sorry
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/politics/blog/2007/10/bush_to_congress_dont_cross_tu.html

[MrCoffee]

17. Clinton actually got Hastert to pull it from the House floor in 2000

http://www.anca.org/596-hastert.html

[wuushew]

18. That statement is rather short on specific concerns

Turkey somehow was keeping a lid on the I/P conflict? News to me. I guess we should have gone through with the resolution any way since the cease fire fell apart regardless.

The only thing we needed Turkey for back then was illegal enforcement of the northern no fly zone which I didn't agree with either.

[MrCoffee]

22. the bit about "developing new sources of energy" is the most telling part

[BadgerLaw2010]

8. Someone needs to call Turkey a Whaaaambulence.

[DFW]

12. It's unfortunate the Turks are offended.

The Germans faced up to what they did in the 1930s and 1940s,
and all is cool with them. The Turks persist in the myth that
the genocide of 1915 never took place. It's bad for us that we
"need" them right now, but the fact remains that if we close our
eyes to what they did in 1915, then we might as well do so for
what Japan and Germany did, too. The Turks will have to deal with
their history sooner or later, barring a return of the Ottoman Empire
as a world power.

As it is, they still prosecute their own citizens for anti-Turkish
defamation. They are trying to join the European Union when they are
anything but European. I don't know why they can't be proud of their
long heritage as an Asian nation, and suspect it's the money, honey,
though there is a large movement in Turkey that is now against joining
the European Union.

Historically speaking, 92 years isn't such a long time. This is not a presidential
campaign, and while it might be immediately politically expedient to help them
deny their 1915 slaughter of Armenians, long term, it's doing no one any good.
I think it would just encourage them to take action against Kurds on the far side
of the Turkey-Iraq border.

If I were Secretary of state, I would let them know that we still value their
friendship, their long history and contributions to culture, but will no more
assist them in denying their past than we did the Germans.

Of course, I'm not Secretary of State, so who knows what the hell will become of this.

[seemslikeadream]

15. Here's how condo feels

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x61450

[truebrit71]

16. Actually, it means it makes *'s war a little bit harder to fight...80% of troops and supplies..

..go through Turkey...and if they're pissed off at the US then it makes Lt Awol and the Grinch have to dance a little harder to keep their war(s) going...

Turkey needs to grow a pair and admit their past, and then move on.

The ONLY reason *, KindaSleazy Rice, and Go-Fuck-Yourself don't want this to go forward is because it strains the relationship between their ongoing criminal activities, and the ongoing criminal activities in Turkey.

[bdamomma]

19. exactly.

:thumbsup: and does anyone know if the Turks are part of that diminishing coalition of the willing, because as small as the number is, Armenia, is there in Iraq helping with transport of supplies.

[renie408]

20. I agreed with you.

Until I heard a quote from Hitler where he said, when asked how he thought they could get away with the mass killing of Jews, "Who still talks about what happened to the Armenians in Turkey thirty years ago?"