Obama now against Armenian Genocide Resolution

While he was running for president candidate Obama said that "The US must recognize the events of 1915 to 1923, carried out by the Ottoman Empire, as genocide." And that the "Bush Administration's refusal to do so is inexcusable."

For the last year Obama and his administration has slowly changed their position to the point where now:

The Obama administration had urged the House Foreign Affairs Committee not to pass the resolution, warning it could damage U.S.-Turkish relations and jeopardize efforts to normalize relations between Turkey and its neighbor Armenia. The two do not share formal diplomatic relations.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters Friday that "the Obama administration strongly opposes the resolution that was passed by only one vote in the House committee, and we'll work very hard to make sure it does not go to the House floor."

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters ahead of the vote that the United States was concerned about the impact the vote could potentially have on U.S.-Turkish relations. Turkey, among other things, is considered a strong American ally and is home to a critical U.S. air base.

Official: Armenian genocide resolution unlikely to get full House vote

Let's compare that with his earlier statements.




At 0:48 candicate Obama said that:

"There was a genocide that did take place against the Armenian people. ... there has been a constant denial on the part of the Turkish government ..."

"Joe Biden and I believe that the Armenian Genocide is not an allegation, personal opinion, or a point of view, but rather a widely documented fact supported by an overwhelming body of historical evidence."
-Barack Obama (10/27/2008)

"America deserves a leader who speaks truthfully about the Armenian Genocide and responds forcefully to all genocides."
- Barack Obama (01/19/2008)

The following video demonstates the hope that many in the Armenian community had in Obama:



Obama's not the first candidate to lie through his teeth to get votes or to change his mind when actually confronted with the realities of the job. I don't think Obama lied when he said that a genocide took place, but now he is faced with nuances that he didn't consider earlier.

Isn't it funny that positions which so many found idiotic and hateful when Bush was in office is now accepted and excused when Obama takes the same position, and often for very much the same reasons?