Roll Call
October 18, 2007 Thursday
Armenia Vote a Test for Pelosi
by Jennifer Yachnin, ROLL CALL STAFF
Dimming prospects that the House will take up a resolution to
redefine a 1915 massacre of Armenians as genocide have threatened to
cast a shadow over Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) first foray into
foreign policy not directly tied to the Iraq War.
Facing opposition from within her own party, including one of her
closest advisers, Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Chairman
John Murtha (D-Pa.), Pelosi remained vague Wednesday on when or
whether the measure would be scheduled on the House floor.
"Whether it will come up or not … remains to be seen," Pelosi said,
stating that she is working with the measure’s sponsors to determine
how to proceed.
Although the Californian told a Sunday news program that the House
would vote on the measure, which she has backed, support for the
resolution among both Democrats and Republicans has ebbed in the days
since the Foreign Affairs Committee voted on the bill last week.
In addition, both President Bush and House Republicans have
denigrated the proposal, questioning its timing and accusing
Democrats of attempting to alienate an ally in the Iraq War.
"With all these pressing responsibilities, one thing Congress should
not be doing is sorting out the historical record of the Ottoman
Empire," Bush said on Wednesday. "Congress has more important work to
do than antagonizing a democratic ally in the Muslim world,
especially one that is providing vital support for our military every
day."
Democratic leaders have denied those allegations – noting the
resolution does not target the current Turkish government – but even
so, rank-and-file Members in the majority echoed those concerns this
week.
Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.), chairman of the Helsinki Commission,
and Rep. John Tanner (D-Tenn.), chairman of the House delegation to
the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, issued a letter to Pelosi and
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) Tuesday to assert that the
measure would damage diplomatic relations with Turkey and potentially
further destabilize Iraq.
"Diplomatic relations between our two nations are clearly strained,"
Hastings said at a press conference Wednesday, along with Tanner,
Murtha and Reps. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.) and Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.).
Nonetheless, even as those Democratic opponents lobbied against
moving the bill to the House floor Wednesday, several said the
measure should be viewed as a success for Pelosi.
"It’s two very different issues," said Wexler, who chairs the Foreign
Affairs Subcommittee on Europe. "I do believe the Speaker has
accomplished a very significant accomplishment in raising the
consciousness of the issue."
Murtha, a longtime opponent of the measure, similarly defended
Pelosi, stating: "She feels morally committed to this issue. It’s
just, is it practical at this point to go forward with it?"
According to online legislative records maintained by the Library of
Congress, the Armenian resolution currently has 214 co-sponsors but
has lost the endorsement of 21 lawmakers, including 14 who formally
abandoned the bill in October.
One Democratic lawmaker, who spoke on the condition of anonymity,
remains listed as a co-sponsor of the measure, but said he remains
uncertain whether he will vote for its passage.
"I don’t think this issue is meant to be a foreign policy thrust on
the part of the Democrats," the lawmaker said, and added: "I don’t
view this as a setback for the Speaker."
Murtha said Wednesday, however, that he estimates between 55 and 60
Democrats likely would oppose the bill if a vote were taken
immediately.
"If it were to run today, it would not pass," he added. After leaving
the press conference, Murtha said of Democratic leaders: "I think
they did miscalculate" support for the measure.
Republican Rep. Ray LaHood (Ill.), who also is listed as co-sponsor
of the measure, echoed Murtha’s sentiment and suggested that
Democrats may have not given the issue enough attention.
Pelosi "got ahead of her troops. This is the first time it’s
happened. She and her staff have learned a very hard lesson," he
said. "These leadership jobs are not easy, particularly when they
have a fractured Caucus like they do."
Should Democrats shelve the measure, it would mirror a decision made
in 2000 by then-Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), who canceled a vote
on the same resolution at the request of then-President Clinton.
Earlier this year, Republicans targeted Pelosi after she met with
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during a Middle East trip to Israel,
the Palestinian territories, Syria and Saudi Arabia with a contingent
of Democratic House Members and one Republican lawmaker.
The trip was criticized by the White House and drew the ire of most
Republican Members back home, particularly after the Israeli
government refuted remarks Pelosi made in Syria that Israel was ready
to engage in peace negotiations with the al-Assad regime.
In the meantime, Democrats faced other headaches Wednesday in the
House, prompting leadership to scrub an expected vote on revised
rules targeting the government’s wiretapping and surveillance
programs.
Republicans claimed credit for the delay on reauthorizing the Foreign
Intelligence Surveillance Act, which was prompted by a GOP-authored
amendment that was to be offered under a parliamentary procedure
known as a motion to recommit.
"Our proposal gives Democrats a very simple choice: They can allow
our intelligence officials to conduct surveillance on likes of Osama
bin Laden and al-Qaida or prohibit them from doing so and jeopardize
our national security," House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio)
said in a statement. "Every member of the Majority will now have the
opportunity to go on record and take a firm position for or against
giving our intelligence community all the tools they need to keep
America safe."
But Democrats criticized the expected amendment.
"Their motion to recommit is an attempt to take a political shot on a
critical national security bill, and we’re not going to let them play
politics with our nation’s security," said Kristie Greco, spokeswoman
for House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.).