China is extremely upset that the Dalai Lama will be awarded a Congressional Gold Medal. The White House is in favor of this award. It brushed aside China's objections. President Bush plans to attend the ceremony to honor one of the world's greatest spiritual leaders.
Turkey is extremely upset that the House Foreign Affairs Committee passed a resolution condemning the Armenian Genocide. The White House is almost as upset as the Turks. Before the vote, President Bush went on national television begging the committee not to vote on this non-binding resolution. Now that the resolution has passed, Bush is begging Speaker Nancy Pelosi to prevent it from reaching the floor of the House for a full vote.
Let me see if I've got this straight. The White House does not care how China feels, but it is bending over backwards to please Turkey. The White House is not arguing that the Armenians did not suffer a genocide. It just thinks that recognizing genocide is less important than hurting Turkey's feelings.
Armenians are being told that this is not a good time to vote on this measure. So when exactly is a good time? Armenians have been waiting for almost 100 years. Before the fall of Communism, they were told that Turkey was too important to upset because it bordered the Soviet Union. During the Clinton administration they were told that Turkey was too important to upset because it was a key ally that was friendly with Israel and supported our efforts in the Middle East. Now they are being told that Turkey is too important to upset because it borders Iraq.
To make its displeasure known, Turkey has threatened to invade Iraq and cut off U.S. supplies. Instead of reminding the Turks that we give them billions of dollars in foreign aid every year to buy their cooperation, the White House is begging Turkey for forgiveness. As for China, it couldn't care less.
