Obama's lobbying organization: We will not engage in Syria debate
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The director of President Obama's political arm, Organizing for Action, confirmed to supporters that the group will not lobby on the president's behalf in the debate over whether the U.S. should strike Syria.
OFA Executive Director Jon Carson acknowledged in a conference call Tuesday that many of the group's volunteers have raised the issue of Syria since Obama over the weekend announced that he would seek congressional authorization for the strike. But OFA, Obama's most potent lobbying apparatus, has decided to sit out the Syria debate, Carson said.
There was speculation that OFA, which has mobilized millions of supporters and volunteers on Obama's behalf on issues ranging from immigration to gun control, wasn't being used to lobby for an intervention in Syria because so many of Obama's liberal supporters object to his taking military action in another Middle Eastern country, as does most of the general public.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But Carson told supporters that the group has "so much going on on other issues" that it can't launch another lobbying campaign for Syria. Besides, he noted, OFA doesn't lobby on every issue the president raises.