‘If the President Isn’t Going to Take Me Out to Dinner, Why Should I Put Out at the End of the Night?’

Regarding the Syria briefing by former top George W. Bush aides, a House staffer says that the briefing was noted as much for who wasn’t there as who was. Why, some asked, weren’t aides from the current White House present to make the case?

Obama’s campaign-turned-lobbying arm, Organizing for America, has sat out the fight. White House aides have told reporters they’ve reached out to 125 House offices for both parties, but it’s unknown how many of those have been Republicans. Obama’s team certainly does not have a reputation for steller outreach to the Hill.

“If the president isn’t going to take me out to dinner, why should I put out at the end of the night?” asks the aide.