Support falters for Armenian resolution

WASHINGTON — Chances for a U.S. resolution calling the mass killings of Armenians that began in 1915 "genocide" eroded dramatically Tuesday as sponsors dropped off in droves and senior Democrats urged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to abandon her support.

The number of lawmakers supporting the bill slipped below a majority as four more withdrew from the legislation. The White House opposes the resolution, saying it will damage U.S. relations with Turkey.

Legislators cited those objections — along with warnings from the Turkish government and from Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Baghdad, that the resolution would cause Turkey to scale back its assistance in the Iraq war — as reasons for rejecting it.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee passed the nonbinding resolution in a 27-21 bipartisan vote last week, but several of those who voted yes have since switched.

With the resolution's chances of passage apparently doomed, senior Democrats were urging Pelosi, who has a large population of ethnic Armenians in her district, to declare victory with the committee vote and move away from the issue.

Media-shield bill gets House backing

The House on Tuesday backed the right of reporters to protect the confidentiality of sources in most federal court cases, saying that right was crucial to a free and effective media. The White House, warning that the media-shield bill would encourage leaks of classified information, threatened a veto.

Under legislation that passed 398-21, reporters could still be compelled to disclose information on sources if that information is needed to prevent acts of terrorism or harm to the national security. Everyone in the Washington state delegation voted for the measure.

The bill faces an uncertain future in the Senate.

Supporters pointed to reports on Abu Ghraib and shoddy conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as examples where source confidentiality was crucial.

Also

Sen. John Warner, R-Va., 80, was hospitalized Tuesday for what his office said was a minor surgical procedure related to an irregular heartbeat.

Seattle Times news services