In other news from Washington, the House Foreign Affairs Committee has defied White House pressure and approved a measure recognizing the Armenian genocide. The passage moves the bill to the House floor for a vote next month. The Bush administration has lobbied against the bill out of fear of harming relations with Turkey. Turkey is a key U.S. ally in the Middle East and hosts military bases vital for the U.S. occupation of Iraq. Hours before the vote, President Bush made an unusual appeal to lawmakers to nix the measure.

President Bush: “I urge members to oppose the Armenian genocide resolution now being considered by the House Foreign Affairs Committee. We all deeply regret the tragic suffering of the Armenian people that began in 1915. But this resolution is not the right response to these historic mass killings, and its passage would do great harm to our relations with a key ally in NATO and in the global war on terror.”

Bush’s comments appear to contradict a pledge he made during his first run for president. In a letter to the Armenian National Committee in 2000, Bush wrote: “The Armenians were subjected to a genocidal campaign that defies comprehension and commands all decent people to remember and acknowledge the facts and lessons of an awful crime. … If elected President, I would ensure that our nation properly recognizes the tragic suffering of the Armenian people.” The final vote was 27 to 21.

Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY): “I believe that Turkey should acknowledge this and move on, as well. I don’t support reparations or land claims or anything that might grow out of this resolution. But I do support the fact that genocide is genocide and there is no way of sugar-coating it or cleaning it up or pretending it isn’t there.”