IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

Congress: When you're invoking Nazis, you're usually losing

National Journal: “Harry Reid Invokes Nazi Germany to Make Case for Syria.”

He also said: "The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in times of great moral crisis maintain their neutrality."

He attributed that to author Dante Aligheri in The Inferno. But one Dante scholar said this line, which has been quoted by JFK and Martin Luther King Jr. is misattributed: “The phrase is most certainly not in Dante. In fact, it traduces Dante's treatment of the 'neutrals' in Inferno 3; his use of fire as a form of punishment; and, more generally, the ways in which he organizes the moral structure of his Hell. Views, which, at first sight, might seem "Dantean', have been ascribed to him since the 14th Century. Dante, a man who never sat on the fence, disliked the 'neutrals' so much that he placed them in the vestibule of Hell -- sinners were better than them as they'd actually made a choice. For Dante, the neutrals were the pusillanimous who never committed themselves to a cause, which is not really our modern notion of neutrality, though tinges of pusillanimity persist in the notion.”

Perry Bacon at The Grio: “Members of the Congressional Black Caucus, traditionally strong allies of President Obama, emerged from a Monday afternoon meeting at the White House with Obama largely unconvinced by his arguments for intervention in Syria and wary of contradicting their constituents, who CBC members say are almost uniformly against any kind of military action.”

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) said, “He was, as always, very eloquent, but I’m not sure he moved a lot of people.” He said he’s leaning toward voting “no,” adding that in his district, “blacks, whites, Jews, gentiles, I’ve never seen people come together on an issue like this.” Everyone who talks to him, Cleaver said, is opposing to striking Syria. And: “I haven’t talked to one CBC member who didn’t say their people were against this,” said Cleaver. He added, “We are invested in Barack Obama, but are we elected to support Barack Obama or represent our districts?”

Roll Call: “President Barack Obama said Monday that Congress may have more time to consider a strike in Syria, given that country’s apparent newfound willingness to give up its chemical weapons.”

On to the next thing… Roll Call: “Can Republicans and Democrats Avoid a Shutdown?”