This just reported by Ben Smith at the Politico.com:
Barack Obama has chosen not to attend September's presidential debate co-sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus Institute and Fox News, effectively dooming the debate.
Obama is the only member of the Congressional Black Caucus running for President, and his decision allows other candidates to skip the debate without facing criticism that they are turning their backs on a leading black institution.
Friday, John Edwards was the first candidate to announce he'd skip the debate. The CBC Institute is hosting one other debate, with CNN.
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