Anders Fogh's Gallipoli

As Matt pointed out earlier today, Obama is now soft-peddling his support of the Armenian Genocide Resolution, which would specifically label the massacres perpetrated by the Ottomans in 1915 as "genocide." It is that yearly ritual, as Christopher Hitchens points out in Slate, when "the deniers and euphemists set to work again" gathering "enough military-industrial votes to tip the scale in favor of our Turkish client." But Obama is not the only one groveling to Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdo?an. Former Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who bravely resisted calls to apologize for the printing (in a private newspaper, of course) of caricatures of Muhammad, is now "clarifying" his great respect for Islam. Now, as aspiring NATO chief, Rasmussen faces opposition from Erdo?an for allowing a free press in his country, which resulted in the grievous offense of countless Muslims in Turkey, and for allowing a PKK-affiliated television station to broadcast from Denmark. From Hurriyet's English-language site:

"NATO is an organization whose duties are to ensure peace," Erdo?an said. "But the mouthpiece of the terror organization in my country is broadcasting from Denmark. I wrote to Mr. Rasmussen four years ago, but he did not do anything."

Erdo?an also criticized Rasmussen's attitude during the crisis over the publication of the Prophet Mohammed cartoons. "How can those who made no contribution to peace at that time contribute to peace now?" Erdo?an asked. "This raises question marks." "This is my personal opinion. I look at [his candidacy] negatively," Erdo?an added.

Ramussen didn't apologize for the publication of the cartoons, but made it clear that, in deeply irreligious Denmark, people really, really respect religion. Now 1) don't hurt us and 2) please let me be NATO secretary general. Video below, in English, via Jyllands-Posten: