PERHAPS ARMENIAN LOBBY KNEW THAT HOAGLAND’S PRICE IS RESOLUTION
Hakob Badalyan
Lragir, Armenia
Aug 15 2007
There is a joke about the witch and the Armenian peasant. After reaping
his wheat field the peasant sits down to have some bread and cheese
when suddenly an old woman appears from out of nowhere and starts
weeping and begging for something to eat. The peasant gives her all
his food. The old woman tells him she is a witch and can fulfill three
wishes. The peasant agrees. His first wish is national-heroic. "I
wish one of our national heroes, say Vardan Mamikonyan, passed across
my field." The witch fulfills his wish, and Vardan Mamikonyan passes
by with his sword in the hand. The peasant is fascinated and wishes
that one of our national heroes, say Vardan Mamikonyan, passed by
closer. The old woman fulfils his second wish and Vardan Mamikonyan
passes by him more closely. The peasant who is so delighted that he can
hardly speak wishes to have a closer look at the hero and to hear his
voice. The witch fulfils his third wish, and when Vardan Mamikonyan
crosses the field for the third time, the peasant hears him shout:
"You asshole, don’t you know another hero?"
Was it too long, dear reader? Never mind. Our history is long,
what can we do? The Armenian people have been living in this sinful
world for a long time now. Nevertheless, having lived for so long the
Armenians are unable to replace morality with reality. With a history
of several thousands of years behind, the Armenian people, at least
the Armenian elite, are unwilling to leave alone Vardan Mamikonyan
and his moral victory. And if Vardan shouts to the peasant to think
of another hero, he should shout to the elite to think about another
victory than the moral one. Again it is too long but it is difficult to
speak short about history that lasts long, such as the debates at the
U.S. congress over the affirmation of Richard Hoagland’s nomination as
ambassador to Armenia. Eventually Bush withdrew Hoagland which enabled
the peasants of the Armenian diplomacy and propaganda to declare it
was the victory of the Armenian lobby. To sound clear I will remind
that the Armenian lobby was against Hoagland’s nomination because he
did not utter the word genocide and denied the genocide.
In this sense, Hoagland’s withdrawal is a real moral victory, and
when the Armenian peasant again stood a chance of fulfillment of his
three wishes after feeding the witch, instead of Vardan Mamikonyan
he could wish to see and to admire the Armenian lobby. After the
withdrawal of Hoagland the deluge. If the new nominee states that
not only there was no Genocide but the opposite, and the Congress
affirms his nomination, the heroic image of the Armenian lobby will
not suffer. After all, our lobby cannot defeat endlessly, especially
Bush, who reaches for high-precision missiles whenever he gets into
trouble. However, it means that if George junior withdraws Hoagland,
it is highly probable that the price will be another failure of
the resolution on the Armenian Genocide at the congress. In other
words, in this case the U.S. president makes a compromise with the
legislature. It is clear, however, that it does not tarnish our moral
victory. After all, there cannot be two victories at a time. We know
this from our first victory. Vardan knew that but he took that step
because he was a real hero. Perhaps the Armenian lobby also knew that
Hoagland’s price is the resolution but it took that move not only
because it was a real hero but also because it perceived the right
moment. In this case, the failure of the resolution at least has an
excuse. They will say it failed because it was impossible to defeat
the political establishment of the United States twice within a year.
After all, the lobby is a serious thing and requires serious financial
reports for everything done and undone. Meanwhile, a very old Armenian
saying runs the undone relies on the done.