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TURKEY THREATENS TO JUMP
By Shmuel Rosner
Slate
Oct 30 2007
Ankara beat Congress; now it's taking on the Bush administration.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan "She's going to talk
primarily about the U.S.-Turkey bilateral relationship and talk about
the fact that it is a good, strong relationship," claimed State
Department spokesman Sean McCormack in his daily briefing to the
press Monday. "She" is Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; the "talk"
will happen on her trip to Turkey later this week; and that "strong
relationship" is in trouble. The Turks have recently re-learned that
they can influence America's decision-makers and policies, and they're
going to use that power again.
Last month, the Turks and their friends in the administration defeated
Nancy Pelosi, a determined, commanding speaker of the House.
The passage of a resolution that would label the 1915 killing of
Armenians by Ottoman Turks as "genocide" was postponed indefinitely.
Pelosi's friends on the Democratic side of the House were kind enough
to save her from even greater embarrassment: The sponsors asked her
to delay the vote-and she agreed.
This was a political blunder. The speaker, as committed as anyone to
passing the symbolic legislation, was humiliated by an even stronger
and no less committed Turkish lobby. However-as often happens with acts
of foolishness committed by Congress-the price will be paid by another
branch of government, the executive. The check will be submitted later
this week to its senior representative, Secretary Rice. A week later,
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit an even higher
authority, President George Bush, with the same purpose.
http://www.slate.com/id/2176970/
By Shmuel Rosner
Slate
Oct 30 2007
Ankara beat Congress; now it's taking on the Bush administration.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan "She's going to talk
primarily about the U.S.-Turkey bilateral relationship and talk about
the fact that it is a good, strong relationship," claimed State
Department spokesman Sean McCormack in his daily briefing to the
press Monday. "She" is Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; the "talk"
will happen on her trip to Turkey later this week; and that "strong
relationship" is in trouble. The Turks have recently re-learned that
they can influence America's decision-makers and policies, and they're
going to use that power again.
Last month, the Turks and their friends in the administration defeated
Nancy Pelosi, a determined, commanding speaker of the House.
The passage of a resolution that would label the 1915 killing of
Armenians by Ottoman Turks as "genocide" was postponed indefinitely.
Pelosi's friends on the Democratic side of the House were kind enough
to save her from even greater embarrassment: The sponsors asked her
to delay the vote-and she agreed.
This was a political blunder. The speaker, as committed as anyone to
passing the symbolic legislation, was humiliated by an even stronger
and no less committed Turkish lobby. However-as often happens with acts
of foolishness committed by Congress-the price will be paid by another
branch of government, the executive. The check will be submitted later
this week to its senior representative, Secretary Rice. A week later,
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit an even higher
authority, President George Bush, with the same purpose.
http://www.slate.com/id/2176970/