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Throughout his 20 year tenure in the Senate, John Kerry has been a principled and effective champion of issues of vital concern to Armenian-Americans. He has led efforts to fight for US recognition of the Armenian Genocide; he cosponsored Bob Dole's 1990 resolution and is currently a sponsor of S.Res.164. He has led initiatives to lift the Turkish-Azeri blockades of Armenia and authored Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, has fought to increase aid and expand trade with Armenia (he is currently a cosponsor of S.Res.1557), supports the full participation of Nagorno-Karabakh in the peace negotiations and has fought to maintain military parity between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

In sharp contrast, George W. Bush has repeatedly betrayed the trust of the Armenian community. He has broken his written pledge to recognize the Armenian Genocide and has actively fought against passage of H.Res.193 and S.Res.164. He pressured Congress to waive section 907, pushed for unprecedented reductions (by 50%) in U.S. aid to Armenia, gave in to the Azeri demand to exclude Nagorno-Karabakh from the peace negotiations and seeks to award Azerbaijan four times more military assistance than to Armenia.

Our enthusiastic support for John Kerry does not hinge on a series of electoral promises he's made on the eve of an election. It is based entirely on his 20 year record of passionately advocating for Armenian causes and consistently defending Armenia's interests and security. As a Senator, John Kerry went far beyond the expectations of his Armenian constituency in Massachusetts .

In 1992, he not only co-sponsored Section 907 but AUTHORED its first draft. Over the following 10 years, he vigorously defended this provision of the Freedom Support Act, which restricted US aid to Azerbaijan until it lifted its blockade of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh, against attacks from both the Clinton and Bush State Departments.

In 1990, standing shoulder to shoulder with Bob Dole, he was far more than a co-sponsor of the Armenian Genocide Resolution S.212. His impassioned speeches on the Senate floor and relentless behind the scenes efforts to recruit supporters among his colleagues on both sides of the isle, showed his depth of knowledge of Armenian History and level of personal commitment to the cause of genocide recognition. Click here to read the ANCA's (Armenian National Committee of America) unequivocal endorsement of John Kerry for President.

The contrast between Senator Edwards and sitting Vice President Dick Cheney is also stark.  John Edwards has consistently taken a positive stand on Armenian issues, while Dick Cheney - as Congressman in the 1980's, as Chairman of Halliburton and later as Vice President - has consistently, often stridently, opposed issues of concern to Armenian American voters.

Sen. Edwards, currently finishing his first term in the Senate, has been a staunch supporter of Armenian American concerns.  In 2002, he cosponsored the S.Res.307, marking the 15th anniversary of the U.S. implementation of the Genocide Convention.  He was an original cosponsor of a similar bill currently in Congress, S.Res.164, spearheaded by Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) and Jon Corzine (D-NJ), which currently has 39 cosponsors.

In sharp contrast, during his years serving in the U.S. Congress, Dick Cheney voted against resolutions commemorating the Armenian Genocide both in 1985 and 1987.  As Chairman of the Board of Halliburton in 1996, he worked extensively with the government of Azerbaijan in oil exploration ventures.  He was a vocal advocate of efforts to repeal restrictions on U.S. aid to Azerbaijan despite that country's ongoing blockades of Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh. In 1997, Cheney, who was a member of the U.S. - Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce (USACC) "Honorary Council of Advisors," was awarded its "Freedom Support" award, for his "outstanding services to this organization [USACC] as well as contribution toward promoting [...] a closer cooperation between the United States and Azerbaijan."

As far as Armenian-American causes are concerned, the difference between the two presidential tickets could not be greater. For a fresh start in US - Armenian relations: VOTE KERRY - EDWARDS ON NOVEMBER 2.

Click here for a graphical summary of Kerry vs. Bush on Armenian issues.

please scroll down for a very interesting link
If you still have any doubts about what a Kerry Presidency or a second Bush term might mean for Armenia and Karabakh, visit the website www.AzerbaijanForBush.com and proceed to the page named The Difference. Recently, Bob Livingston, a founding partner of the firm that officially lobbies in Washington on behalf of the Turkish government remarked that Democratic presidential candidate Kerry had entrapped himself with his statements on the Armenian genocide. "I am afraid that if Kerry is elected president, there may be big a change in American policy on the genocide issue," Bob Livingston, the chairman of The Livingston Group was quoted as saying in the Turkish newspaper Zaman Daily.