U.S. House says sorry to black Americans for slavery - but Senate stays silent in case it damages Obama

The US House of Representatives has formerly apologised for the first time ever to black Americans for the “fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality and  inhumanity” of slavery and segregation.

But the US Senate has refused to do the same – according to insiders – for  fear that it could damage black Democratic presidential candidate Illinois Senator Barack Obama in this election year.

Race remains a big issue in the election campaign and the Democrats – who  control both houses of Congress – worry that a powerful joint resolution would  be seen by white voters as a first step towards the highly unpopular issue of  reparation payments.

Black political groups argue that the country should pay huge sums of  compensation to all blacks who can prove they are descended from salves.

The House, with a much higher proportion of black members, went ahead on  its own because “it’s long past time we apologized to African-Americans for the  wrongs committed against them and their ancestors".

Mr Obama, 46, is walking a racial tightrope in his political fight with  Republican candidate Arizona Senator John McCain, 71, in the November 4  presidential election with the polls showing that one in four Americans believe  that most of the people they know would not vote for a black president.

Democrats fear that undecided white voters, who hold the balance of power,  might be persuaded to support Mr McCain who they could trust never to sign a  hugely expensive reparation agreement rather than Mr Obama who would come under  enormous pressure from his fellow blacks.

Mr Obama has suffered severe criticism for his one-time membership of a  black church run by the radioactive black pastor Rev Jeremiah Wright who has a  record of making anti-white and anti-American statements.

The House apology to blacks came 140 years after slavery was  abolished.  The resolution was introduced by Tennessee Congressman Steve  Cohen, a white Democrat who represents a heavily black district.

His office said today that he had expected the Senate to pass a  similar resolution but was informed at the last minute that they “couldn’t  agree on the wording.”

Mr Cohen’s resolution was co-sponsored by 42 members of the House Black  Caucus.  Mr Obama is the only black man in the Senate.

Five states have issued apologies for slavery and the US Congress has apologized to Japanese-Americans for their internment during the Second World War.