Black Caucus mum on Tea Party Republican who wants to join

In the news of last weeks US House gains there are now two new Republican members of Congress who just so happen to be Black. One of them was a veteran of the Iraqi war. And it's his story that I'm posting:

The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) is staying silent about a Tea Party Republican's bid to join the group.

Rep.-elect Allen West (R-Fla.) indicated last week he intends to join the CBC to challenge the group's "monolithic voice."

"I plan on joining, I'm not gonna ask for permission or whatever, I'm gonna find out when they meet and I will be a member of the Congressional Black Caucus," West, one of two black Republicans elected to Congress last Tuesday, told WOR radio. "I meet all of the criteria, and it's so important that we break down this monolithic voice that continues to talk about victimization and dependency in the black community.

"We've got to turn this thing around, and I think it's time for some different voices to be in that body politic."

They laughed former Congressman JC Watts out of the room when he tried it when he served in the House. I don't mean literally, but they sure didn't take his bid very seriously. Many of the members of the CBC are largely entrenched and old school and very partisan. Instapundit was right to refer to this committee instead as the Black Democratic Caucus.

And you know what else, the caucus that is referred to as the "conscious of Congress" doesn't speak for me anyway!