HOUSE RESOLUTE TO HURT INTERNATIONAL IMAGE
Mike Hassel

University of Evansville Crescent online
public/200710/26/04az_forum.html
Oct 26 2007

While the Constitution places Congress above the executive branch,
many presidents-from FDR to George W. Bush-have managed to wield their
authority to curtail congressional power. Many political analysts hoped
the changes in the U.S. political climate sparked by the 2006 midterm
elections would reverse this trend and return Congress to a position of
superiority. But the actions of the Democratic-led Congress have shown
that marginalization may not be such a bad thing. The House passed
a resolution in July against Japan that condemned its impressment of
sex slaves during World War II.

House leadership continued to push for the passage of this measure even
though, according to the Washington Post, a letter from the Japanese
government asserted the measure would damage the relationship between
the two allies. Japan has repeatedly apologized for its treatment of
women during the war. Surprisingly, the resolution condemning Japan
is the least damaging of the nonbinding measures Congress has passed
this year. The House Foreign Affairs Committee passed a resolution
this month that condemned the World War I killings of Armenians by the
Turkish Ottoman Empire-a state that no longer exists-as "genocide"
in spite of warnings from Turkish leaders. Now waiting for a vote
on the congressional floor, the proposed House Resolution 106 has
created international uproar.

According to foxnews.com, support for the resolution has diminished
since Turkey recalled its ambassador from Washington earlier this
month. Yet House leadership is still pressing the issue, apparently
blind to Turkey’s sensitivity. Turkey, a critical ally in the
Middle East, could punish America by preventing supplies from
reaching U.S. troops in Iraq. These resolutions are unnecessary and
irresponsible.

Like Turkey, Japan is one of America’s staunchest allies. It is one
of the few countries willing to share the economic burden of the
war in Iraq. Yet this also has escaped the minds of congressional
leadership. Surely, Congress would not use childish, passive-aggressive
tactics to change foreign policy because they were unable to alter it
through a vote on legitimate issues. These resolutions are examples of
how politics can become more important than a country’s foreign policy
and international image. The irresponsibility of recent Congressional
actions is stunning and embarrassing. House Democrats should focus on
improving the U.S., not condemning past evils of U.S. allies. These
actions place an exclamation point on the failing record of this
Congress.