Turkish 'Genocide' Bill Loses House Support - by DAVID ROGERS
Pressed by the White House and Turkish lobby, as many as 11 House members have withdrawn as co-sponsors of a resolution labeling the mass killings of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire a century ago as "genocide." Seven members pulled their names from the measure Monday and four more as of Tuesday, leaving passage of the bill in doubt. The rapid erosion signals momentum has shifted in favor of Turkey and the Bush administration, which has urged the Democratic leadership to block a vote on the resolution, reported from the House Foreign Affairs Committee last week.
"It couldn't pass if it came up today," said Rep. John Murtha (D., Pa.) who has played a major role behind-the-scenes in helping to pull members off the bill. While not ready to give up the fight, Rep. Adam Schiff (D., Cal.), the chief sponsor, conceded the powers arrayed against him.Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) remains supportive nonetheless and has pledged to allow a vote this year. But if support continues to erode, her allies say she won't bring the measure up if it only means an embarrassing defeat.
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