What is genocide? Well, it's, um, not something our allies do [1]. Or ever have done.

"We all deeply regret the tragic suffering of the Armenian people that began in 1915," Bush said in a brief statement. "But this resolution is not the right response to these historic mass killings and its passage would do great harm to relations with a key ally in NATO, and to the war on terror."

"Yes, historic mass killings, tragic suffering. Yadda yadda. But it's not genocide." Um, whoops [2]?

Turkey has recalled its ambassador to the United States in response to a House resolution that would call the World War I massacre of Armenians by Turkish forces genocide, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Thursday. The House Committee on Foreign Affairs passed the measure 27-21 Wednesday, even though President Bush and key administration figures lobbied hard against it. The full House is expected to vote on it, possibly Friday.

I'm curious - has anyone heard a harsh word from Mr. President "Democracy Is On The March for the Proud Peoples of the Middle East" Bush about how his Turkish allies have been bombing the hell out of Kurdish Iraq [3] for the last week? And that they're now threatening to invade?

Turkish warplanes and helicopter gunships attacked suspected positions of Kurdish rebels near Iraq on Wednesday, a possible prelude to a cross-border operation that would be likely to raise tensions with Washington. The military offensive also reportedly included shelling of suspected Turkish Kurd guerrilla hide-outs in northern Iraq, which is predominantly Kurdish. U.S. officials are preoccupied with efforts to stabilize other areas of Iraq and oppose Turkish intervention in the relatively peaceful north. The White House issued a warning Wednesday against such an incursion "at this time." Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters that a motion authorizing a cross-border operation was being prepared and might reach parliament today. An opposition nationalist party said it would support the motion. If parliament approves, the military could launch an operation immediately or wait to see if the United States and its allies decide to crack down on the rebels, who have been fighting for autonomy in Turkey's southeast since 1984 in a conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

Yeah, I didn't think so. Get used to hearing this phrase: "expanded regional conflict." But remember, the surge is working. W: Putting the "Dip" into Diplomacy since 2001. Bonus question: Where's Condi?