MCCAIN ATTACK ON OBAMA GENOCIDE POLICY

MCCAIN ATTACK ON OBAMA GENOCIDE POLICY

armradio.am
24.07.2008 11:29

Armenian Americans – a community of one a half million citizens that
has experienced the horrors of genocide and continues to endure the
pain of its denial -defended Senator Barack Obama against Senator
John McCain’s unfounded and starkly hypocritical charges that the
presumptive Democratic nominee is not serious about preventing future
genocides.

Senator McCain’s presidential campaign issued a press statement
attacking Senator Obama as lacking sincerity in his calls of
“never again,” even as the Illinois Senator personally traveled
to Israel’s Yad Vashem memorial to honor the millions slaughtered
in the Holocaust. Senator Obama has been a consistently strong and
effective leader on issues of genocide, leading Congressional efforts
to stop the Genocide in Darfur, and fighting vigorously against the
Bush Administration’s complicity – enthusiastically backed by John
McCain – in the Turkish government’s denial of the Armenian Genocide.

“Armenian Americans, a community with a long and painful experience of
genocide, know that John McCain lacks the standing to lecture anyone –
especially a genocide-prevention leader of the stature of Barack Obama
– regarding America’s compelling national interest and moral obligation
in opposing all genocides, past or present,” said Armenians for Obama
Chairman Areen Ibranossian. “Barack Obama has led the fight=2 0against
the Darfur Genocide, and publicly taken on the Bush White House’s
obstruction of recognition of the Armenian Genocide, while John McCain
has done little more than to meekly accept the gag-rule imposed by the
Turkish government on the discussion of this crime against humanity.”

“John McCain, who has outsourced U.S. genocide policy to the
Turkish government, really hit bottom by launching such an obviously
hypocritical attack against Barack Obama, who is so far out in front of
him in fighting for real U.S. leadership to end the cycle of genocide,”
added Ibranossian.

On January 19th, 2008 Senator Barack Obama issued a forceful and
passionate statement on the topic of genocide, which reads, in part:
“Genocide, sadly, persists to this day, and threatens our common
security and common humanity.

Tragically, we are witnessing in Sudan many of the same brutal tactics
– displacement, starvation, and mass slaughter – that were used by
the Ottoman authorities against defenseless Armenians back in 1915. I
have visited Darfurian refugee camps, pushed for the deployment of
a robust multinational force for Darfur, and urged divestment from
companies doing business in Sudan. America deserves a leader who
speaks truthfully about the Armenian Genocide and responds forcefully
to all genocides. I intend to be that President.”

Armenians for Obama is a nationwide voter registration, education
and mobilization effort dedicated to electing Ba rack Obama
President. Based in Los Angeles, and with chapters and affiliates
in all 50 States, Armenians for Obama will harness the energy and
enthusiasm for Barack Obama’s candidacy to ensure record high Armenian
American turnout in critical battleground states