The New York Post, in a move that must have been highly painful for their Murdoch-appointed editorial board, managed to praise Harlem Democrat Charlie Rangel for his protest in front of the Embassy of Sudan last Tuesday. In an editorial entitled “Rangel Gets One Right”, the Post describes the situation in Darfur as “de facto genocide” and, while taking swipes at Kofi Annan and the UN, praises Rep. Rangel’s actions.
Democracy Now has a transcript of an interview with Rep. Rangel shortly after his arrest.
While the US is more partisan and divided than in recent memory, it’s reassuring that truly pressing crises like Darfur can bring liberals and conservatives together. While we haven’t seen them hauled into jail yet, religious conservatives like Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas have been urging pressure against Sudan for years and have been in the lead in sponsoring resolutions that would term the situation in Darfur a genocide.