Dem Congresspeople Arrested at Protest

"The slaughter of the people of Darfur must end," Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., a Holocaust survivor who founded the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, said from the embassy steps before his arrest.

Four other Democratic Congress members — James McGovern and John Olver of Massachusetts, Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas and Jim Moran of Virginia — were among 11 protesters arrested on charges of disorderly conduct and unlawful assembly, a misdemeanor subject to a fine. (Link.)

Sure, it’s a political stunt, but it’s for a worthy purpose—and as far as political stunts go, I’ll take four Dems getting hauled away to call attention to human rights abuses over Commander Codpiece posturing in a flight suit in front of a Mission Accomplished banner any day of the week. Good for them.