Obama to Congress: "Don't offend Turkey" (Another broken promise and flip flop)

[Soul Crusher]

White House to Congress: Don't offend Turkey
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Source: msnbc.com

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration is urging a House panel not to offend Turkey by declaring that the Ottoman-era killing of Armenians was genocide. But the committee chairman pressed ahead Thursday.

The administration stepped in despite a campaign promise by President Barack Obama to brand as genocide the killing of as many as 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman Turks.

The United States relies on Turkey as a key supply route for U.S. troops in Iraq and Turkey's troops serve in the U.S.-led coalition forces in Afghanistan. The United States also is pressing Turkey, which holds a rotating seat in the U.N. Security Council, to support sanctions against Iran, Turkey's neighbor.

Armenian American groups have for decades sought congressional affirmation of the killings as genocide. Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I, an event widely viewed by scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey says the toll has been inflated and those killed were victims of civil war and unrest, not genocide.

In April, Obama broke a campaign promise to brand the killings genocide in an annual White House statement on the day marking Armenian remembrance. Obama said that while he had not changed his personal views, he did not want to upset promising talks between Turkey and Armenia on improving relations and opening their border, sealed since 1993.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35705977/ns/world_news-euro... /

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More broken promises and lies from this jerk. 

[drkaje]

We need Turkey to remain friendly. Nothing he says will bring back those Armenians, anyways.

[Soul Crusher]

We need Turkey to remain friendly. Nothing he says will bring back those Armenians, anyways.

Over at DU they are livid.  Shit, many of them sound worse than me! 

[Kazan]

You know what pisses me off? How many millions was spent to have "meetings" about changing a fucking word? I don't know, but I thought our government had better things to do with their time and our money

[MCWAY]

Lost in all of this: So WHAT if Obama brands it "genocide". WHO IS GOING TO STOP THE TURKS? It certainly ain't the bleeding heart "War is not the answer" liberals.

[drkaje]

Over at DU they are livid.  Shit, many of them sound worse than me! 

Then you need to try harder!!

Let's face it. We need a friendly Turkey to help manage the Kurd situation. When they finally realize Bush, Clinton and Bush lied tomisled them about the possibility of an independent Kurdish region within Iraq, there's going to be a problem.

Bush's promise that Iraq will not be broken up always meant no Kurdistan but Turkey is the only country that can restrain them militarily.

Someone made a great documentary "Good Kurd, bad Kurd" several years ago.

[Kazan]

This happened in 1915, what the hell is congress doing wasting time with it now? System of Down gonna get pissed if there isn't a "resolution" on this?

[kcballer]

333 do you agree it should be labeled genocide or are you happy to leave it be?

[Soul Crusher]

333 do you agree it should be labeled genocide or are you happy to leave it be?

I personally believe our congress should spend its time finding ways to cut spending and not on this nonsense. 

However, the fact that Obama made a campaign pledge and now flip flopped, like on  a million other things, is news. 

[drkaje]

Why can't they just call it a holocaust and concentrate on cutting spending?

[kcballer]

I personally believe our congress should spend its time finding ways to cut spending and not on this nonsense. 

However, the fact that Obama made a campaign pledge and now flip flopped, like on  a million other things, is news. 

But lets say they had time to do so what is your stance on this?

[Soul Crusher]

But lets say they had time to do so what is your stance on this?

Of course it is. 

[kcballer]

Of course it is. 

So you agree America should acknowledge war crimes that have been committed.  How about the prosecution of those war crimes?  I posted an article the other day about a refugee who faced genocide in his home land, he is now in America as are the perpetrators.  Do you think that the perpetrators should be prosecuted?

[Kazan]

Of course it is. 

And my answer is so what? What difference does it make what America calls it? Is that going to somehow make everything all better?

[Soul Crusher]

And my answer is so what? What difference does it make what America calls it? Is that going to somehow make everything all better?

That's my point, we should be spending times on ways to cut spending not this nonsense.  however, the flip flop is news. 

[kcballer]

So you agree America should acknowledge war crimes that have been committed.  How about the prosecution of those war crimes?  I posted an article the other day about a refugee who faced genocide in his home land, he is now in America as are the perpetrators.  Do you think that the perpetrators should be prosecuted?

[kcballer]

Bump for 333 answer -

So you agree America should acknowledge war crimes that have been committed.  How about the prosecution of those war crimes?  I posted an article the other day about a refugee who faced genocide in his home land, he is now in America as are the perpetrators.  Do you think that the perpetrators should be prosecuted?

[Kazan]

Bump for 333 answer -

So you agree America should acknowledge war crimes that have been committed.  How about the prosecution of those war crimes?  I posted an article the other day about a refugee who faced genocide in his home land, he is now in America as are the perpetrators.  Do you think that the perpetrators should be prosecuted?

First of all who is still alive that prosecuted said crime in 1915? And for that matter the Ottoman empire controlled most of the area. So who do you go after?

As far as the article you posted, here in America you are presumed innocent until proven guilty. If there is enough evidence then send him off to the hague.

[Spoony Luv]

"They" just hit Turkey with the earthquake machine...Just a little taste of what America can do if they don't fall in line...

[240 is Back]

America should insist other counties admit their mistakes.

America has never committed any.  Suck it.

[Kazan]

America should insist other counties admit their mistakes.

America has never committed any.  Suck it.

Interesting, and what if said country doesn't think it was a mistake? Then what we force them?

This whole thing is just another "lets feel good about ourselves" charade, by the elite in DC.

Typical.

[240 is Back]

well, for obama to admit yeah, we helped overthrow iran in 1952, people called that shit traitorous.

[Kazan]

well, for obama to admit yeah, we helped overthrow iran in 1952, people called that shit traitorous.

The only reason the POTUS did that is he thought he was going to score to points with the Mullah's. It's pretty evident that everyone already knew the US had a hand in it. The bigger picture is what was going on at the time, a little thing called the cold war. If the US didn't put their guy in the Soviets would have, so from 1945 until 1989 the world was like chess board being manipulated by the US and the Soviets.

So people can point all the fingers they want, but one way or the other, a US ally or a soviet ally was going to be installed in areas of strategic and economic importance.

[drkaje]

well, for obama to admit yeah, we helped overthrow iran in 1952, people called that shit traitorous.

What we did in Iraq/Iran served US needs and is no different than actions Turks or Nazi's took aside from the number of people killed. It could be argued that more lives were affected by poor decisions the US, England and former Soviet Union made to advance their goals.

Right or wrong (like history) is determined by the victors. It's impossible for the US to be wrong until some outside force can defeat us.