On Jan. 19, 2008, then-presidential candidate Barack Obama said, “The Armenian Genocide is NOT an allegation, a personal opinion, or a point of VIEW, but rather a widely documented fact supported by an overwhelming body of historical evidence.”
On April 6, 2009, President Obama met with his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul at the Cankaya Palace in Ankara. After the meeting, during a joint press conference, Obama was asked about his promise to recognize the Armenian Genocide. In his answer, he carefully avoided using the term “genocide,” and said, “My VIEWS are on the record and I have not changed VIEWS.” He went on to say, “I want to focus not on my VIEWS right now, but on the VIEWS of the Turkish and Armenian people. If they can move forward and deal with a difficult and tragic history, then I think the entire world should encourage that.”
Had Obama discovered a brilliant way to anger the Armenians (and anyone who believes in the truth) the least, while pleasing Turkey the most? A way that his predecessors simply weren’t smart enough to discover?
It seems he thought he had.
Because on April 24, 2009, in his statement on Armenian Remembrance Day, Obama again avoided the term “genocide” and said, “I have consistently stated my own VIEW of what occurred in 1915, and my VIEW of that history has not changed.”
Someone needs to point out to the president that if he initially said the Armenian Genocide “is not…a point of view,” and now he says he has not changed his views on 1915, then he, in fact, considers the Armenian Genocide “a view” and has, therefore, changed his views.
Can anyone in the Obama Administration print out this short note and give it to the president? He might want to review his views on his—unchanged—views.
Dr. Khatchig Mouradian
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Well said Khatchig
It was obvious from the beginning that this opportunist “Macchiavelist” is another imperialists like others. They are after Armenian-American’s vote, and as soon as they get that “Business as Usual”. They have to appease “The only Democracies???!!!” in the region; namely Turkey and Israel. However, I hope this time it will be a wake up call for Armenian-Americans not to be fooled by these opportunists!
Congrats Khatghig and George – very well stated. Whether you’re a Democrat, Republican, or independent, if you don’t understand by now that this president cares not one whit for our sacred cause, you’re either a misguided apologist or blind to reality. My great-grandparents and their families were martyrs for our faith and our people. Can’t we, at a minimum, rise up to this outrage, if not for ourselves then for them? Take 15 minutes – I promise, that’s all – and place a phone call, send a PERSONALIZED email, or mail a letter. Don’t worry about sounding like Shakespeare or a Sunday morning news show: be angry, emotional, passionate. Tell this president, or your Congressman or Senator, exactly how this makes you feel. Let’s take a page from the “playbooks” of other ethnic groups and finally make our voices heard, from beyond the Beltway. I realize it’s not our style, and we’re so busy with kids, jobs, bills, taxes, and doing the right thing by our families that we hardly have time for this. But we need to make time, or get used to more abuse like this. Those of us who supported this gentleman were just abused and absolutely humiliated, and it took only 5 months to forget us. Let’s make sure that never happens again.
This is a tough one. I am still glad Obama is president instead of McCain (would you rather be at war with Iran right now?). However, I am sickened by this turn of events. I started to become ill as soon as the trip to Turkey was announced (actually, it was the day he named Rahm Emanuel Chief of Staff). Even before he made it to Turkey, the president of T and his old lady were up Obama’s and Michelle’s respective arses in all the photos at the G-20. Next came all the French kissing in Turkey. But the greatest insult of all was his use of the words “Medz Yeghern.” Whose brilliant idea was that? Did they really think we would be fooled by that?
I did not support Obama because of his promise to the Armenians. I supported him because I felt (and still do) that he is brilliant and was the best man for the job. But, I will NEVER, EVER vote again in my life and am planning to join Reverend Wright’s church. Reverend Wright was Right all along: not God bless America; God da_n America.
If Obama can’t solve Darfurian Genocide in this civilized century and half of his genes arrived from African sun; can he recognize Armenian genocide alone?
All Europe knows about Armenian Genocide who are neighbors to Armenia. Come and ask any Syrian Bedouin
he will tell you stories of Genocide no one heard yet before(even taking the liver of Armenian babies after killing the pregnant mother.)
I will tell you simple equation; it’s well known that United kingdom has tree ethnicities: Scotch, English, and Welsh. Two of their three parliaments (Scottish and Welsh) recognized the Armenian Genocide and English parliament still not. Ask any clever seven-year student let he/she solve this problem!
Everyone knows that Devil Satan exists and we must all agree on this so therefore why think better of Christians? Hello kids this problem no president can solve as far as US is in question but God sees everything have faith in God for last days are here. Let’s see politics belongs to Satan the Devil and real Christians belong to God so figure you’re never ending history. If my grand father did not escape I would never had been born, it’s extremely sad and it goes to all Armenians! Love one another and they’ll know you are Christians …Jesus words, I believe Armenians loved all their neighbors and never discriminated like Turks did so we failed! Greeks were killed too BECAUSE THEY WERE CHRISTIAN TOO. People don’t understand something that what ever Christian country would have been in place of ARMENIA or GREECE massacre would have happened to another Christian nation! WAKE UP!