how things change between the campaign trail and the office. Sometimes the gap is very understandable – you tell people what you want to do when you’re campaigning, and when you’re in office, you find out what you *can* do. I get that. But things like this? Just . . . why?
tx2vadem
Don’t we want Turkey’s help to wind down the Iraq Occupation, among other things? Plus, according to Obama, he doesn’t want to mess with Turkey’s and Armenia’s talks on normalization. It’s a sticky situation.
I mean announcing on a state visit that Turkey should recognize that they murdered over a million Armenians would be shocking (especially since they have been in such a serious state of denial about it). A direct slap in the face, as this would probably be perceived there, is harder to overcome. And unfortunately, we need Turkey.
MB
Oh, I wasn’t discounting any of that. I was wondering why in the world you’d promise to say something about the genocide unless, you know, you intended to actually do it. Turkey’s ridiculousness over the matter isn’t a secret, so it’s not like Obama didn’t know this would come up. And if you weren’t going to follow through, why would you imply that you would? It’s not like there some crucial Armenian American voting bloc out there.
Beth
“It’s not like there some crucial Armenian American voting bloc out there.”
Ha. This is how I can tell you don’t follow politics in central California.
MB
“Crucial” being the key word. Despite demonstrating (repeatedly) that it seems to be entirely incapable of handling democracy responsibly, I have no worries about California’s presidential vote.
Peej
The day I see Turkey effectively used (or, if you prefer, help), with no long-term repercussions to it or neighboring countries, to wind down any hotbed of activity in that area is the day I will eat my hat.
tx2vadem
To MB’s question above, because such promises cost you nothing. And depending upon how you interpret it, he hasn’t gone back on this campaign promise yet.
To Peej’s point, oh it’s the qualifier that saves you there. Of course, Turkey is going to do what it thinks are in its best interests (whether that be the continued occupation of a portion of Cyprus, fighting with Greece over some islands in the Aegean, cutting off the water supply to Syria, invading Northern Iraq, or blockading Armenia’s border). Come to think of it, Turkey is a real team player! ;) As with so many things, you take the bad with the good.