UPDATED at Bottom of Post

In their September 25th jointly-signed letter, former Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright, James Baker III, Warren Christopher, Laurence Eagleburger, Alexander Haig, Jr., Henry Kissinger, Colin Powell, and George Schultz, urged Speaker Pelosi to, “prevent condemning Turkey” for the Armenian genocide of 1915.

The speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives insisted Sunday that she would bring to the full chamber a resolution condemning the killings of Armenians nearly a century ago as genocide, even as a Turkish general warned that this could lastingly damage a military relationship crucial to American forces in Iraq.

A House committee Wednesday passed a nonbinding resolution declaring the killings, which began in 1915 in the waning days of the Ottoman Empire, to be genocide, and the House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca), said Sunday that “I’ve said if it passed the committee that we would bring it to the floor.”

The House Committee on Foreign Relations is chaired by Tom Lantos (D-CA) who joined Speaker Pelosi on a trip to Syria earlier this year. Acknowledging critics at the time of the Syrian trip Lantos said, “We have an alternative Democratic foreign policy.”

Turkey, which is a key supply route to U.S. troops in Iraq, recalled its ambassador from Washington and warned of serious repercussions if Congress labels the killing of Armenians by Turks a century ago as genocide. The summons of Ambassador Nabi Sensoy for temporary consultations is a further sign of deteriorating relations between two longtime allies and potential for new turmoil in the region.

Egeman Bagis, an aide to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, told Turkish media that Turkey – a conduit for many of the supplies shipped to American bases in both Iraq and Afghanistan – might have to “cut logistical support to the U.S.”

The House resolution is one more example of a do nothing Congress making another attempt at hurting the U.S. Military, playing politics, and meddling in affairs best left to the State Department.

California Dreamin’

The resolution was introduced by Rep. Adam Schiff, (D-CA) Schiff represents California’s 29th district, which includes Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena and other areas just east of Los Angeles. Lantos represents California’s 12th District, just south of San Francisco. Pelosi, of course, represents San Francisco.

It’s obvious the importance of our troops receiving supplies and maintaining good relations with allies are less important to Left-Coast Liberals who must satisfy the wants and needs of their Left-Wing base of mindless hippie mentality.

Tarnished Image

Liberals enjoy foaming at the mouth and exalting that it’s time for America to repair the broken image she has obtained by the Bush administration. Candidates on the Left enjoy discussing foreign relations and the “diplomatic breakdown” exhibited during the Bush years.

Pelosi defends her position by bashing the troops to justify a misguided resolution to may create immense damage to the United States position in the Middle East.

“Some of the things that are harmful to our troops relate to values – Abu Ghraib, Guantánamo, torture,” said Pelosi, whose district includes thousands of Armenian-Americans.

“Our troops are well-served when we declare who we are as a country and increase the respect people have for us as a nation.”

Pelosi Kabuki Dance

“This isn’t about the Erdogan government,” she says. “This is about the Ottoman Empire,” last seen more than 85 years ago.

“Genocide still exists,” insists Ms. Pelosi. “We saw it in Rwanda; we see it now in Darfur.”

What does any of the weak Pelosi explanation have to do with military routes supplying U.S. Troops at war? How does Pelosi justify her attempts to undermine the Bush administration, State Department and cause harm to our military?

Jane Harman, the Southern California Democrat who Speaker Pelosi passed over for chair of the intelligence committee, wrote an op-ed for the Los Angeles Times Friday, questioning the “timing” of the resolution and asking why it is necessary to embarrass a “moderate Islamic government in perhaps the most volatile region in the world.” (WSJ)

Backing Clinton – Then and Now

Lantos had a different view on Turkey and genocide when Bill Clinton was President. In September of 2000 Lantos said:

“This legislation at this moment in U.S.-Turkish relations is singularly counterproductive to our national interest.”

Lantos added that the resolution would “humiliate and insult” Turkey and that the “unintended results would be devastating.”

Nothing has changed except Liberals are now desperate to demonstrate to their anti-war base they have resolve for defeat in Iraq and wish to terminate current Middle East policy in an ongoing effort to call President Bush a failure.

UPDATE

The Pentagon is preparing plans to send supplies bound for Iraq through other countries if Turkey carries through on a threat to close its airspace to the U.S. But the likely short-term alternatives have limitations.

The U.S. military brings enormous quantities of food, fuel, ammunition, spare parts and vehicles into Iraq every month through the Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey. Officials said 70% of the air cargo going into Iraq passes through Turkey.

If the U.S. lost access to Turkish airspace, it likely would try to bring supplies in from Jordan or Kuwait. But neither country could step in as a viable replacement. The U.S. has no major bases in Jordan, and the highways linking Jordan and Iraq pass through several restive Sunni-dominated parts of Iraq. The U.S. ports and bases in Kuwait, meanwhile, are already stretched by supplies en route to Iraq. (WSJ)

Although the Bush administration and Pentagon is lobbying against the resolution Pelosi says she will bring it to the floor for a vote.