20071021 Pelosi's judgment questioned over Armenia issue by Susan Cornwall

Pelosi's judgment questioned over Armenia issue by Susan Cornwall

October 21, 2007

The Armenian Genocide Resolution was so ill advised that it went beyond the bizarre… Yes, it was a horrific episode, but for the United States Congress to address the matter almost a hundred years later – in today’s complex context is arrogant and well, almost too weird. No word as to whether the Turkish Parliament is considering a resolution condemning the United States for its shameful slavery epoch or the systematic genocide committed against Native Americans…

Pelosi's judgment questioned over Armenia issue by Susan Cornwall

By Susan Cornwell October 21, 2007 - Democrat Nancy Pelosi's pledge of a new direction took a detour when she fumbled an Armenian genocide resolution and raised questions about her leadership as the highest ranking member of the U.S. Congress.

Pelosi, 67, speaker of the House of Representatives and next in line to the presidency after the vice president, swore she would push the controversial resolution to a vote, then blinked when some fellow Democrats withdrew their support in the face of furious reaction from Turkey.

President George W. Bush warned the symbolic resolution to affirm the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as genocide would harm Washington's relations with Ankara. But as long as it looked like it would pass, Pelosi stuck to her guns.

When Democratic support started waning last week amid protests from NATO ally Turkey -- which denounced the measure as "insulting" and hinted at halting logistical support for the U.S. war effort in Iraq -- Pelosi wavered.

Critics say she miscalculated.

"It's certainly not her finest moment," said Michael O'Hanlon, senior fellow in foreign policy studies at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

"There's been no great harm done, but we do have to find some ways to mend the U.S.-Turkish relationship."

Turkey accepts that many Armenians were killed in World War One, but denies they were victims of a systematic genocide.

Pelosi took office amid much fanfare 10 months ago. She proposed "a new direction" for America and vowed to challenge Bush on a host of fronts, including the Iraq war.

Read the entire piece here: Pelosi's judgment questioned over Armenia issue by Susan Cornwall