Condi gets pushed around in Khartoum

Well, I've written both about Darfur (here and here) and Condi Rice (here) at The Reaction, and now the twain, finally, have met: "Security forces in the Sudanese capital manhandled U.S. officials and reporters traveling with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, marring her round of meetings with leaders of the new unified government. Rice demanded an apology, and got it." (They even pushed around NBC star reporter Andrea Mitchell, who felt "angry, embarrassed, humiliated" -- see here.)

I suppose worse things could happen to you in the Sudan, but at least this brings Darfur back into the news. It may be all talk and no action, but Condi continues to be one of democracy's great advocates, and she deserves a good deal of credit at least for saying the right things and for taking on some of the world's most atrocious regimes -- and, in this case, genocide. Not too long ago, it was Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Now it's the Sudan. Despite the manhandling, let's hope her trip leads to more than just empty talk and vague commitments.

(Mitchell: "It makes me even more determined when dictators and alleged war criminals are not held to account. If our government is going to establish a relationship and push for a new beginning as Sudan reforms itself, they have to live up to international standards. A free press is part of that process." Exactly.)