Tit for Tat for Turkey

The House Foreign Affairs committee votes 27-21 to condemn as a genocide the 1915 killings of Armenians.

Here are the last three paragraphs of the opening statement by committee chair Tom Lantos:

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.”

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.”

Members of this committee have a sobering choice to make. We have to weigh the desire to express our solidarity with the Armenian people and to condemn this historic nightmare through the use of the word “genocide” against the risk that it could cause young men and women in the uniform of the United States armed services to pay an even heavier price than they are currently paying. This is a vote of conscience, and the Committee will work its will.

Lantos' last sentence translated: "If the troops get caught in the crossfire between us and the President, screw 'em!"

Turkey should pass a resolution condemning the 1975 Democrat Congress vote cutting off funding for the Republic of South Vietnam as genocide.