WASHINGTON -- Rep. Rahm Emanuel, the House Democratic Caucus chairman, dissented from Speaker Nancy Pelosi's support of a resolution condemning the 92-year-old Armenian genocide that has proved to be the big blunder of her tenure.

Emanuel was not present at the House leadership meeting that approved the resolution dealing with the 1915 slaughter of Armenians allegedly by the Turkish government. But he always has opposed the long-standing effort by the Armenian-American community, dating back to his days as President Clinton's political aide.

The resolution at first drew backing from some 225 House Democrats. But support faded and Pelosi was forced to abandon the proposal after briefings of individual House members by Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Iraq. Petraeus pointed to the fierce opposition from Turkey, an important U.S. ally in the Middle East.

GREENSPAN'S CRITICS

Present and former central bankers from all over the world, in Washington last weekend for the World Bank meeting, were privately critical of former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan's best-selling book for revealing too much.

Greenspan's erstwhile colleagues were unpleasantly surprised that he told about inner workings in "The Age of Turbulence." Central bankers like the secrets of their temple to remain a mystery.

In particular, these critics felt Greenspan violated their code when his book made life more difficult for his successor at the Fed, Ben Bernanke.

CHUCK AND HILL

Sen. Charles Schumer denied it, but word seeped out of the Democratic cloakroom that he was steaming over being rejected by the Senate on his earmark for a Woodstock museum -- in particular, the lack of help from his New York colleague, Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Schumer and Clinton co-sponsored a $1 million earmark for the museum in Bethel, N.Y., at the site of the drug-laden 1969 Woodstock music festival. But Clinton did not go to the Senate floor to help out her fellow senator, and one of her aides said this was mainly Schumer's project. Schumer told me that he was not upset with Clinton and that he telephoned Republican Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma to say there were no hard feelings.

Earmarks are routinely approved for powerful legislators such as Schumer, a member of the Senate Democratic leadership. The Woodstock million lost, 52 to 42, after it was revealed that the museum's principal donor was a big contributor to Schumer and Clinton. Continued...