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Waiting for Godot
http://www.mirrorspectator.com/2012/08/22/waiting-for-godot/
Opinion | August 22,
2012 2:20 pm
By Edmond Y. Azadian
In an election year all news channels are supersaturated with
electioneering, most of the time oblivious to the fact that many other
newsworthy events and developments are happening around the world which may
affect our livelihood and even the future of the country.
Two wars that the Bush administration began - Iraq and Afghanistan - are
continuing with the same ferocity and draining our economy. The Clinton
Administration concluded its second term with a surplus in the budget. The
Bush-Cheney administration left behind an abysmal deficit, on top of
depleting the surplus. Since President Barack Obama was elected, every
legislative initiative has been opposed by Republicans - even at the cost
of hurting the country - just to hamper his reelection chances. That, of
course, will give ammunition to the Republican camp that the Obama
administration failed to improve the economy, which on the surface may
sound true, if they can discount the Bush-era debacle. Republican president
candidate Mitt Romney began his campaign at the height of the economic
crisis, giving a positive spin to the campaign as a successful businessman
who could inject some hope in the gloomy business climate. But as his
campaign has progressed and his credentials have been placed under rigorous
scrutiny, his reputation as an able and honest business leader has been
dented, especially when his opponents began digging into the scandal of the
Bain Capital, which had netted him $473 million.
Any president or presidential candidate may promise the sky to the public,
but if they don't have the backing of the legislature, they cannot deliver
on their promises. That, in itself, is a built-in defense mechanism. In
case of failure, blame the Congress. There is a plethora of issues in this
presidential campaign that each camp will dissect to discredit its
opponents.
Now, enter Paul Ryan, a youthful and dynamic Republican vice presidential
candidate on a crusade to dismantle the Obama health care plan. Initially,
the Romney and Ryan healthcare plans looked different from each other and
even sounded contradictory. The two candidates quickly have been
reconciling their differences, because healthcare will become - or, already
has become - one of the hottest campaign issues.
Foreign policy is hardly mentioned in the campaign debates, because the
assumption is that the US can and will resolve those issues at the butt of
the gun. Yet defense remains a major issue, as the Obama administration
tries to wind down the foreign wars and cut out unnecessary spending.
The US is not only a super power but a super-super power that can out-gun
any potential adversary with its stockpile of state-ofthe- art weaponry.
Yet, security and the strong posture of America have become euphemisms for
fueling the military-industrial complex, something President Dwight
Eisenhower had warned against in the waning days of his administration.
Americans vote with their pocketbooks, except some ideological zealots in
both camps. If the economy shows some signs of improvement in the remaining
days of the campaign, that will favor the incumbent administration. If it
deteriorates, citizens will look for change, for saviors, regardless of the
outcome of their choice. Interest groups have their own agendas to pursue
in this election year. Leniency advocated by the Obama administration with
regards to the 11 million illegal aliens here will certainly have a
positive impact in the Hispanic community. On the other hand, leniency
towards Cuba's new ruler may jeopardize the Florida vote, a key
battleground in this campaign. Therefore, the administration has to
calibrate its policy to the tune of the public sentiment to assure a second
term for President Obama.
The Jewish vote is crucial for any candidate; wooing the Israeli lobby is
not enough - Benjamin Netenyahu will not settle for anything less than
complete surrender. The two-state solution for the Palestinian issue
advocated by President Obama did not jibe well with the friends of Israel.
Despite his solid commitment to Israel's security, Mr. Obama may end up
receiving a cold shoulder from his Jewish constituency.
On the other hand, the Republican hopeful offered the maximum, by visiting
Israel and making an outright play for the Jewish vote. He declared
Jerusalem as Israel's capital, pre-empting the traditional US policy of
recognizing Tel Aviv as the capital. That would bias any future settlement
of the conflict, as Palestinians have been vying for East Jerusalem to
become their own capital. Considering the Arab world is in enough turmoil
for any retaliation, Mr. Romney threw another incendiary barb, comparing
unfavorably the accomplishment of the Palestinians versus the Israelis.
He suggested that the Palestinians have not prospered as well as Israelis
because of cultural differences, i.e., inferiority, neglecting to mention a
chokehold on them by the Israeli government, while praising the thriving
Israeli economy, again neglecting to mention that US taxpayers are pouring
money into its economy. That laughable statement drew winces even from the
Israeli hosts, not to mention riled up Palestinians, who justifiably called
Romney a racist.
Since every ethnic or interest group is guided by its own interest,
Armenians are also entitled to the same rights. For us at issue are the
Genocide, the US assistance to Armenia and the thorny problem of the
Karabagh (Artsakh) conflict.
Thus far, neither camp has addressed those issues and time is running out.
Republican vice presidential-hopeful Rep. Paul Ryan is on record as having
co-sponsored the latest House Resolution acknowledging the Armenian
Genocide. But that does not mean too much, since President Obama and Vice
President Joe Biden have been vocally supportive of the Genocide issue
until their election.
Since their election, they have been dancing around the Gword, as they have
become captives of the political system. In all fairness, we need to be
mindful that President Obama came closest in defining the Armenian Genocide
and he dared to remind Turks to come to terms with their grizzly history,
in a speech delivered in Ankara, at the Turkish parliament. Yet that does
not match his official written commitment made before his election. Once
elected, even the most moralistic candidate seems to compromise his or her
moral compass for political expediency.
However, Armenians have learned the convoluted course of political
machinations and will never give up on this critical issue. We are reminded
of the French precedent, when the parliament had almost criminalized the
denial of the Armenian Genocide similar to the Gayssot Law, which has
criminalized the denial of the Jewish Shoah. Yet, despite then-President
Nicolas Sarkozy's passionate speech at an Armenian rally, he let the time
elapse and failed to sign the resolution, allowing the opponents of the
resolution to muster enough votes to claim the resolution unconstitutional.
The new president, Francois Hollande, has made the same pledge, but a
recent interview by his foreign minister casts some doubt on his
commitment; indeed, in an interview conducted by the French weekly
l'Express, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius was asked how the president is
will make good on his pledge to pass the Genocide resolution without
offending Ankara, when France needs Turkey's support on its Syrian policy.
The minister answered in an equivocal fashion: `We are seeking ways to
reconcile the two issues.' If we have learned enough history we can safely
assume that is also another betrayal in the making.
Coming back to the US elections, neither camp yet has addressed the
Armenian concerns. That does not allow the Armenian voters to take a stand.
In President Obama's case, any pledge is worth less, since he could - and
he still can - deliver on his pledge while in office. Mitt Romney can sway
some Armenian votes if he comes up with a lastminute positive statement.
Contrary to our beliefs and our campaigns, not all Armenians take the
Genocide issue seriously in voting.
Currently, there is a vicious campaign against President Obama, with racial
overtones, and many Armenians are shamefully taken in; the president's skin
color and his advocacy for the middle class seem to have alienated those
Armenians.
At this time, there is no decision for Armenians - we are waiting for Godot.
http://www.mirrorspectator.com/2012/08/22/waiting-for-godot/
Opinion | August 22,
2012 2:20 pm
By Edmond Y. Azadian
In an election year all news channels are supersaturated with
electioneering, most of the time oblivious to the fact that many other
newsworthy events and developments are happening around the world which may
affect our livelihood and even the future of the country.
Two wars that the Bush administration began - Iraq and Afghanistan - are
continuing with the same ferocity and draining our economy. The Clinton
Administration concluded its second term with a surplus in the budget. The
Bush-Cheney administration left behind an abysmal deficit, on top of
depleting the surplus. Since President Barack Obama was elected, every
legislative initiative has been opposed by Republicans - even at the cost
of hurting the country - just to hamper his reelection chances. That, of
course, will give ammunition to the Republican camp that the Obama
administration failed to improve the economy, which on the surface may
sound true, if they can discount the Bush-era debacle. Republican president
candidate Mitt Romney began his campaign at the height of the economic
crisis, giving a positive spin to the campaign as a successful businessman
who could inject some hope in the gloomy business climate. But as his
campaign has progressed and his credentials have been placed under rigorous
scrutiny, his reputation as an able and honest business leader has been
dented, especially when his opponents began digging into the scandal of the
Bain Capital, which had netted him $473 million.
Any president or presidential candidate may promise the sky to the public,
but if they don't have the backing of the legislature, they cannot deliver
on their promises. That, in itself, is a built-in defense mechanism. In
case of failure, blame the Congress. There is a plethora of issues in this
presidential campaign that each camp will dissect to discredit its
opponents.
Now, enter Paul Ryan, a youthful and dynamic Republican vice presidential
candidate on a crusade to dismantle the Obama health care plan. Initially,
the Romney and Ryan healthcare plans looked different from each other and
even sounded contradictory. The two candidates quickly have been
reconciling their differences, because healthcare will become - or, already
has become - one of the hottest campaign issues.
Foreign policy is hardly mentioned in the campaign debates, because the
assumption is that the US can and will resolve those issues at the butt of
the gun. Yet defense remains a major issue, as the Obama administration
tries to wind down the foreign wars and cut out unnecessary spending.
The US is not only a super power but a super-super power that can out-gun
any potential adversary with its stockpile of state-ofthe- art weaponry.
Yet, security and the strong posture of America have become euphemisms for
fueling the military-industrial complex, something President Dwight
Eisenhower had warned against in the waning days of his administration.
Americans vote with their pocketbooks, except some ideological zealots in
both camps. If the economy shows some signs of improvement in the remaining
days of the campaign, that will favor the incumbent administration. If it
deteriorates, citizens will look for change, for saviors, regardless of the
outcome of their choice. Interest groups have their own agendas to pursue
in this election year. Leniency advocated by the Obama administration with
regards to the 11 million illegal aliens here will certainly have a
positive impact in the Hispanic community. On the other hand, leniency
towards Cuba's new ruler may jeopardize the Florida vote, a key
battleground in this campaign. Therefore, the administration has to
calibrate its policy to the tune of the public sentiment to assure a second
term for President Obama.
The Jewish vote is crucial for any candidate; wooing the Israeli lobby is
not enough - Benjamin Netenyahu will not settle for anything less than
complete surrender. The two-state solution for the Palestinian issue
advocated by President Obama did not jibe well with the friends of Israel.
Despite his solid commitment to Israel's security, Mr. Obama may end up
receiving a cold shoulder from his Jewish constituency.
On the other hand, the Republican hopeful offered the maximum, by visiting
Israel and making an outright play for the Jewish vote. He declared
Jerusalem as Israel's capital, pre-empting the traditional US policy of
recognizing Tel Aviv as the capital. That would bias any future settlement
of the conflict, as Palestinians have been vying for East Jerusalem to
become their own capital. Considering the Arab world is in enough turmoil
for any retaliation, Mr. Romney threw another incendiary barb, comparing
unfavorably the accomplishment of the Palestinians versus the Israelis.
He suggested that the Palestinians have not prospered as well as Israelis
because of cultural differences, i.e., inferiority, neglecting to mention a
chokehold on them by the Israeli government, while praising the thriving
Israeli economy, again neglecting to mention that US taxpayers are pouring
money into its economy. That laughable statement drew winces even from the
Israeli hosts, not to mention riled up Palestinians, who justifiably called
Romney a racist.
Since every ethnic or interest group is guided by its own interest,
Armenians are also entitled to the same rights. For us at issue are the
Genocide, the US assistance to Armenia and the thorny problem of the
Karabagh (Artsakh) conflict.
Thus far, neither camp has addressed those issues and time is running out.
Republican vice presidential-hopeful Rep. Paul Ryan is on record as having
co-sponsored the latest House Resolution acknowledging the Armenian
Genocide. But that does not mean too much, since President Obama and Vice
President Joe Biden have been vocally supportive of the Genocide issue
until their election.
Since their election, they have been dancing around the Gword, as they have
become captives of the political system. In all fairness, we need to be
mindful that President Obama came closest in defining the Armenian Genocide
and he dared to remind Turks to come to terms with their grizzly history,
in a speech delivered in Ankara, at the Turkish parliament. Yet that does
not match his official written commitment made before his election. Once
elected, even the most moralistic candidate seems to compromise his or her
moral compass for political expediency.
However, Armenians have learned the convoluted course of political
machinations and will never give up on this critical issue. We are reminded
of the French precedent, when the parliament had almost criminalized the
denial of the Armenian Genocide similar to the Gayssot Law, which has
criminalized the denial of the Jewish Shoah. Yet, despite then-President
Nicolas Sarkozy's passionate speech at an Armenian rally, he let the time
elapse and failed to sign the resolution, allowing the opponents of the
resolution to muster enough votes to claim the resolution unconstitutional.
The new president, Francois Hollande, has made the same pledge, but a
recent interview by his foreign minister casts some doubt on his
commitment; indeed, in an interview conducted by the French weekly
l'Express, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius was asked how the president is
will make good on his pledge to pass the Genocide resolution without
offending Ankara, when France needs Turkey's support on its Syrian policy.
The minister answered in an equivocal fashion: `We are seeking ways to
reconcile the two issues.' If we have learned enough history we can safely
assume that is also another betrayal in the making.
Coming back to the US elections, neither camp yet has addressed the
Armenian concerns. That does not allow the Armenian voters to take a stand.
In President Obama's case, any pledge is worth less, since he could - and
he still can - deliver on his pledge while in office. Mitt Romney can sway
some Armenian votes if he comes up with a lastminute positive statement.
Contrary to our beliefs and our campaigns, not all Armenians take the
Genocide issue seriously in voting.
Currently, there is a vicious campaign against President Obama, with racial
overtones, and many Armenians are shamefully taken in; the president's skin
color and his advocacy for the middle class seem to have alienated those
Armenians.
At this time, there is no decision for Armenians - we are waiting for Godot.