I wonder if in 100-200 years that with increased Palestinian political clout we will no longer recognize the Jewish Holocaust in order to appease Palestinians. In France and Switzerland, amongst other European nations, it is illegal to deny any facet of the Armenian Genocide, in which 1.5 Armenians were slaughtered by the Ottoman Empire in 1915. I'm confused as to exactly how and why systematically killing 1.5 million people does not constitute as genocide in the eyes of the US and Israel. I can't believe politics and an entire "what if" policy of speculation are the key components in not officially recognizing an historical fact.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/10/10/us.turkey.armenians/index.htmlWhite House: Genocide resolution would hurt relations with key ally Bush says passage of resolution would cause "great harm"
House resolution calls killing of Armenians during World War I "genocide"
Condoleezza Rice says Turkish support critical to U.S. efforts in Mideast
Turkish president says passage of resolution would create a "backlash"
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush and key figures in his administration lobbied hard Wednesday against a House resolution that labels the killings of Armenians in Turkey during World War I as "genocide."
President Bush urges the House not to pass a resolution he says would harm U.S. relations with Turkey.
The president, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates said passage of the resolution would hurt relations with an important U.S. ally.
Bush urged lawmakers to oppose the resolution, which he said would cause "great harm" to U.S. relations with Turkey, which he called a key ally in NATO and the "global war on terror."
"We all deeply regret the tragic suffering of the Armenian people that began in 1915. This resolution is not the right response to those historic mass killings," Bush said at the White House.
A similar resolution passed the committee by a 40-7 vote two years ago, but it never reached the full House floor. House Republican leader John Boehner, noting the critical military and strategic alliance with Turkey, said bringing the resolution to the floor would be "totally irresponsible."
