Turk vs. US. We lose.

C.I.R. Press Editorial

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Well I never thought this would happen, well of course I did. The lefties are screwing over America.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee passed the bill Wednesday by a 27-21 vote despite intense lobbying by Turkish officials. The committee's vote was a triumph for well-organized Armenian-American interest groups who have lobbied Congress for decades to pass a resolution. President Bush warned that it could harm U.S.-Turkish relations, already stretched by accusations that Washington is unwilling to help Ankara crack down on Kurdish rebels based in Iraq.

Now I am betting that some if not all of the people that voted for this were the ones complaining about how we needed to use more diplomacy in the world. They told us war is not the way to do that, I suppose alleging a country committed genocide in 1915 is the way. Of course this is to make Bush look bad and ultimately hurt the United States.

The Turkish ambassador has been recalled, the first step in a diplomatic breakdown. I think this is the lefts 4 millionth back-door way to end the war in Iraq. (Remember that for later.) This will only diminish the ability for the US to hold off Turkish military involvement against the Kurds in northern Iraq. In addition we use Turkish airspace for a number of things, one of which as a way to get injured personnel from the theatre to the hospital in Germany.

But they are looking out for us right? “The U.S. Embassy urged Americans in Turkey to be alert for violent repercussions.” Ooops. But that will be isolated and we have no history of the path this could go down right? “After France voted last year to make it a crime to deny the killings were genocide, the Turkish government ended its military ties with that country.” Ooops. Let’s give them a break though. It isn’t like my hypothesis that they might use this to end the war has any truth right?

A key feature distinguishing today’s debate from the one on the “Comfort Women” resolution is that U.S. troops are currently engaged in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our troops depend on a major Turkish airbase for access to the fighting fronts, and it serves as a critical part of the supply lines to those fronts. A growing majority in Congress, and I am among them, strongly oppose continued U.S. troop involvement in the civil war in Iraq, but none of us wants to see those supply lines threatened or abruptly cut.

Whoa…Am I good or what? Why get blamed for cutting funding, when you can pawn it off on another country right? But it gets better.

All eight living former secretaries of state recently cautioned Congress on this matter. And I quote, “It is our view,” write former Secretaries Albright, Baker, Christopher, Eagleburger, Haig, Kissinger, Powell and Shultz, “that passage of this resolution … could endanger our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and damage efforts to promote reconciliation between Armenia and Turkey.”

And even better…

Three former secretaries of defense – Carlucci, Cohen and Perry – this week advised Congress that passage of this resolution, and I quote again, “would have a direct, detrimental effect on the operational capabilities, safety and well being of our armed forces in Iraq and in Afghanistan.”

And they voted for it!!! And what op-ed conservative piece did the last 3 quotes come from you ask. It was Lantos’s opening statement to the committee!!! Who ever, left or right that voted for this can have all the above hanging over their heads. Approx 27% of the 235 cosponsors were Republicans. Shame on them.

democrats republicans bush congress iraq afghanistan Turkey Lantos