Transcript: House Minority Leader John Boehner on 'FNS'

Sunday, October 14, 2007
FOX News

WASHINGTON — The following is a partial transcript of the Oct. 14, 2007, edition of "FOX News Sunday With Chri Wallace":

The Armenian genocide recognition is very current although it happened more than 90 years ago. The denial of the genocide is the continuation of the genocide that Armenians are living through. Turkey is taking the American complacency in avoiding the term genocide as a license to ignore it. Let me put it this way. If you know your friend is abusing his/her children are you obliged to notify that person against his/her objection? Telling that you do not raise an objection because your friend is nice to you is disingenuous.

"FOX NEWS SUNDAY" GUEST HOST BRIT HUME: Good morning again from Fox News in Washington. With us now, the Republican's top man in the House, minority leader John Boehner.
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"HUME: Let's go now to this question of the Foreign Affairs Committee which approved this legislation that would describe the mass killings during the conflict way — what, 90 years ago or longer, between the Turks and the Armenians in World War I as genocide.

Now, the U.S. government says yes, it was a mass killing, even indeed a massacre, but the word genocide is extremely sensitive to the Turks who, in the aftermath of the action by that committee, recalled their ambassador.

Is there any real thought this measure will ever pass the House, in your view?

BOEHNER: Listen, there's no question that the suffering of the Armenian people some 90 years ago was extreme.

But what happened 90 years ago ought to be a subject for historians to sort out, not politicians here in Washington. And I think bringing this bill to the floor may be the most irresponsible thing I've seen this new Congress do this year.

Turkey is a very important ally in our war against the terrorists. They are in a very strategic location in the world. They've been a great ally of ours.

They are very upset about this resolution, and the speaker should not bring this issue to the floor."

Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.