Congressional Black Caucus told members to hold their tongue on Syria criticism

The Congressional Black Caucus seeks to keep from making the first black president looking bad, so the chairwoman silenced her 40 member crew from criticizing the Syrian war plan for now:

FOREIGN POLICY – As an increasing number of African-American lawmakers voice dissent over the Obama administration’s war plans in Syria, the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) has asked members to “limit public comment” on the issue until they are briefed by senior administration officials.

A congressional aide to a CBC member called the request “eyebrow-raising,” in an interview with The Cable, and said the request was designed to quiet dissent while shoring up support for President Obama’s Syria strategy.

The CBC, a crucial bloc of more than 40 votes the White House likely needs to authorize a military strike in Syria, is scheduled to be briefed by White House National Security Advisor Susan Rice on Monday. Until then, CBC chairwoman Marcia Fudge has asked colleagues to “limit public comment until [they] receive additional details,” Fudge spokeswoman Ayofemi Kirby told The Cable.

When asked if the White House requested the partial gag order, National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said “the Administration is reaching out to all Members to ensure they have the information they need to make an informed judgment on this issue.” Kirby said it was her boss’s request and was aimed at keeping members informed rather than silencing anti-war members.

In recent days, a number of black lawmakers from Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) to Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) to Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) have expressed skepticism over the administration’s plan to wage a surgical military strike in Syria. “We must learn the lessons of the past. Lessons from Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and others,” said Lee, who remains opposed to a Syrian intervention.

“If I felt for one minute that my nation was in danger, and I’m 83, I would volunteer and do something to protect her,” Rangel told The Cable on Wednesday. “But I’ll be damned if I see anything worth fighting for.”

With Democrats race is ALWAYS a factor.


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