The Discerning Texan

Support is swiftly slipping for a symbolic measure to reclassify the World War I-era killing of ethnic Armenians as genocide as House members increasingly fear the real-world implications — for the U.S. relationship with Turkey and for American soldiers in Iraq.

Facing staunch opposition from the Bush administration, the Turkish government and their own colleagues on Capitol Hill, six Democrats and two Republicans withdrew their support from legislation this week officially designating the mass killings of 1.5 million ethnic Armenians during the breakup of the Ottoman Empire almost a century ago.

Top Democrats have joined the administration and Republican leaders to mobilize against the bill after the House Foreign Affairs Committee approved the measure last week in the face of bitter complaints by the Turkish government.

The committee vote prompted Turkey to withdraw its ambassador from the U.S. and threaten to ban the U.S. military from Turkish airspace and military installations that have become critical staging sites for military efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Also at risk: the administration’s negotiating leverage as Turkey threatens to launch raids against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq.

The Turkish Parliament is expected to approve a motion Wednesday allowing the government to order a cross-border attack over the next year — an action U.S. officials have warned could lead to catastrophic consequences in the war-ravaged nation.

House Armed Services Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) circulated a letter on Capitol Hill Tuesday urging Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) not to bring the bill to the floor.

In addition, a handful of prominent Democrats, led by Reps. John P. Murtha of Pennsylvania, Alcee L. Hastings of Florida, John Tanner of Tennessee, Robert Wexler of Florida and freshman Stephen I. Cohen of Tennessee, have scheduled a press conference Wednesday to make a similar case to their own leaders.

These public rebukes forced Democratic leaders to backpedal Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) conceded “many people are reversing their own positions” on the legislation while reiterating his commitment to schedule a floor vote on the bill before Congress wraps up its work for the year.