Demagogue

From Human Rights Watch

After its meeting today with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the Security Council should take urgent steps to protect civilians in Darfur and refer the situation to the International Criminal Court, Human Rights Watch said. Meanwhile, the United States has proposed a 45-day delay in taking a decision on justice for Darfur’s victims.

The New York Times had a piece today on movies that President Bush has seen recently that included this section

On Feb. 15, after the White House contacted MGM, [Hotel Rwanda's] distributor, Mr. Rusesabagina found himself in the Oval Office discussing "Hotel Rwanda" with Mr. Bush, Laura Bush and senior White House staff members.

"Don Cheadle is an actor," Mr. Rusesabagina said in a telephone interview on Friday from his home in Brussels, where he now lives. "He is a messenger." The president, he said, "wanted to know who was the person behind the story, the real life behind Hotel Rwanda."

Mr. Rusesabagina said that Mr. Bush was well briefed. "He was informed about everything," he said. "He knew everything that happened in Hotel Collines. He was asking me why did I decide to do that? And then at the end, he said I had done what any human being should have done."

The president and Mr. Rusesabagina also talked about the mass killings in the Darfur region of Sudan, which the United States has labeled genocide. Mr. Rusesabagina reported that "he's interested in what is going on in Sudan, he's following that closely, and he's committed to finding a solution."

Beyond that, Mr. Rusesabagina said the president gave no indication of what he might do. "Sometimes when you talk with a president," Mr. Rusesabagina said, "you have to know that some questions will not be answered."

One man, at grave risk to his own life, worked to save more than 1200 Hutus and Tutsis in Rwanda. President Bush, who faces no risk at all, has proposed delaying attempts to refer the crimes in Darfur to the ICC for 45-days.

There can be no doubt that hundreds, if not thousands, are dying every week in Darfur. Therefore it must be asked how many more people are going to die while the Bush administration continues its ridiculous opposition to the International Criminal Court?