Syria: Making the case
New York Times: “The evidence of a massacre is undeniable: the bodies of the dead lined up on hospital floors, those of the living convulsing and writhing in pain and a declaration from a respected international aid group that thousands of Syrians were gassed with chemical weapons last week…..And yet the White House faces steep hurdles as it prepares to make the most important public intelligence presentation since February 2003, when Secretary of State Colin L. Powell made a dramatic and detailed case for war to the United Nations Security Council using intelligence — later discredited — about Iraq’s weapons programs.”
NBC’s Michael O’Brien & Tom Curry: “A growing minority of lawmakers in both parties are demanding that President Barack Obama seek approval from Congress before launching an attack against Syria. Most senior leaders in Congress appear content with the administration’s efforts to keep lawmakers abreast of what appears to be a fast-approaching military response to Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad’s use of chemical weapons against opponents in that country’s protracted civil war. But ahead of any possible military action, a chorus of voices is calling for at least a Congressional debate, if not an explicit vote authorizing the use of force.”
New York Times: “Lawmakers stepped up their call on Wednesday for President Obama to consult with Congress before ordering a military strike on Syria, with more than 100 House members signing a letter pressing the president to seek a vote before taking action.”
March on Washington: Republicans pass on invites
MBNSC: “President Barack Obama marked the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington by honoring the work not just of the civil rights leader, but of the everyday footsoldiers who fought for their rights. ‘Because they kept marching, America changed,’ Obama said Wednesday at the Lincoln Memorial where King had delivered his speech. ‘Because they marched, the city councils changed, and state legislatures changed, and Congress changed, and, yes, eventually the White House changed.’ The president went on to say that this generation of Americans owed a debt to the porters, maids, and secretaries who ‘kept on keeping on’ for equal rights.’”
Roll Call: “Speaker John A. Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor, the House’s two most senior Republicans, were invited to speak at the 50th anniversary of the historic March on Washington — but declined….According to Boehner’s spokesman Michael Steel, the Ohio Republican ‘was invited, but spoke at the Congressional ceremony instead, as did Sens. Reid and McConnell, and Rep. Pelosi.’”
Congress: RSC kicks out Heritage
National Journal: “According to several sources with direct knowledge of the situation, the Republican Study Committee—a group of 172 conservative House members—has barred Heritage Foundation employees from attending its weekly meeting in the Capitol. The conservative think tank has been a presence at RSC meetings for decades and enjoys a close working relationship with the committee and its members. But that relationship is now stretched thin, sources say, due to a series of policy disputes that culminated with a blowup over last month’s vote on the the farm bill.”
Politico: “Women’s groups are intensifying their opposition to the possible nomination of Larry Summers to lead the Federal Reserve in an effort to pressure President Barack Obama to choose Janet Yellen for the job. If that doesn’t work, they hope to set the stage for a tense confirmation battle this fall that would put many Democratic senators in the uncomfortable position of facing political heat from a usually friendly part of their base.”
At the Races: Could de Blasio avoid a runoff?









