Just My Luck

There are two types of reporters; some run after news, but news runs faster and the two never meet. Others bump into news. I am one of those lucky ones. Throughout my journalistic life news has always come to me.

Let me tell you the latest story: I am in Washington for a quick visit to attend this year's American-Turkish Council (ATC) meeting. The very first day I set foot in the US capital, a friend of mine, a Washington resident, took me to an Indian restaurant, the Bombay Club, for a quiet Sunday brunch. When we were directed to a table, I found myself face-to-face with my first news: Donald Graham, the owner and CEO of The Washington Post was hosting Arthur Sulzberger, the owner and publisher of The New York Times.

In any country, the meeting of two press barons who are supposedly rivals is considered an earth-shaking news item. Did they talk about potential new lay-offs, or did they come together to decide which presidential candidate is worthy of supporting? Seeing us, two Turks in the Bombay Club in Washington, did Turkey also come into their discussions as a potential non-democratic country, or vice versa? Will they support Turkish democracy in their papers or let things take their course?

Here I was, fresh in the US capital, and bumping into my first news item.

Since I knew Sulzberger from a very scholarly event organized by the Rockefeller Foundation several years ago in Bellagio, Italy, and from his visit to Turkey when we were introduced once more by Stephen Kinzer — The New York Times' İstanbul correspondent then — we exchanged pleasantries during our chance meeting at the Bombay Club. He gave me a quick update, saying that he recently met Vuslat Doğan Sabanci, the publisher of the mass circulation daily Hürriyet.

In five minutes, I had two very important news items in hand — the meeting of two US press barons and the meeting of a US newspaper owner with a Turkish newspaper publisher. I told you up front, I have a lucky streak. I rarely run after news; it usually comes to me.

The ATC meeting had another surprise for me: As its spotlight event, Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, decided to honor participants with her presence at one of the ATC's luncheons. I didn't know until after I arrived in Washington that I would be able to hear from none other than Ms. Rice herself what the US administration thinks about recent developments in Turkey, which have put the country's democratic credentials at stake.

Many in Turkey and some in the US capital feel that the Bush administration has little regard for the Turkish government headed by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. I feel otherwise and believe very strongly that the encounter of two statesmen, George W. Bush and Erdoğan, at the White House on Nov. 5, 2007, produced a strong will to fight against Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorism to the satisfaction of Turkey. President Abdullah Gül's visit to Washington and his meeting with President Bush at the White House reinforced the goodwill and solidarity between the two friendly countries.

This is my contention.

I have the tendency to listen to counter-arguments if they are uttered by sensible people. Washington has plenty of sensible people saying just the opposite of what I feel. They shared their views with me on the preparations of the Bush administration for an assault on Iran soon and how the Bush administration is unhappy about Turkish politicians' attitude toward their intention. I listened more than once to the story about Erdoğan's displeasure when he heard that the US was ready to strike Iran during Dick Cheney's recent visit to Ankara. My sources tell me that Cheney returned from his trip to Washington with a determination to get rid of the "nuisances" in Ankara.

Michael Rubin of the American Enterprise Institute voices the concerns of the people surrounding Dick Cheney. He has a special interest in Turkey and since he is prolific with his statements, he always finds an angle to reiterate his displeasure with the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government. His stance on the matter is very simple: Get them out of power.

On my second day in Washington, Rubin came up with his new slanderous message of expecting an "Islamic revolution" in Turkey. Although a slight change has occurred in his approach to Turkish politics, and rather than branding the existing government as "Islamic" he turned his attention to Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish religious scholar living in exile in the US. He claimed in his article that Gülen would return to Turkey this year in the same fashion that Ayatollah Khomeini had done to Iran in 1979.

My vocabulary lacks the appropriate words to portray such an outrageous utterance, not just in English but in Turkish, too.

I remember another chance occurrence a couple of years ago in Istanbul when I had dinner with a friend at the Ritz Carlton Hotel. When we were heading to pick up our overcoats, I saw a familiar figure entering the restaurant, Richard Perle. The Prince of Darkness was there as a guest together with his entourage, in which Rubin was also present. They appeared as if they owned the place.

Why I related the story about Rubin and the circle he is in is relevant: In his latest diatribe, Rubin pleads with Rice about giving support to the AK Party. He ends his article with this sentence: "Turkey is nearing the cliff, please, Secretary Rice, do not push it over the edge."

Well, in her speech, she didn't comply with Rubin's wishes, but she didn't give open and unequivocal support for Turkey's shattered democracy, either.

If I am lucky enough, I may come across somebody who will satisfy my curiosity about the US government's real stand on democracy in Turkey before I leave.