Honor to Obama Splits Ga. House

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Associated Press
Saturday, March 21, 2009

ATLANTA -- Two dozen black lawmakers angrily stalked out of the Georgia House on Friday amid assertions that a decision by white Republican leaders to delay passage of a resolution honoring President Obama had racist overtones.

House Speaker Glenn Richardson (R) said the proposal to make Obama an honorary member of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus required changes to its language and sent it to a committee. Supporters of the resolution said the move was a snub to the nation's first black president.

State Rep. Austin Scott said he and other Republicans objected to wording that would have put the full chamber on record backing the resolution and its declaration of Obama as a man with an "unimpeachable reputation for integrity." He said he blocked the proposal after Democrats balked at revising the wording.