But where was Amnesty’s demand for the arrest of China’s President Hu Jintao, whose regime is one of the worst abusers of human rights on the face of the planet? How about President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, who is slaughtering thousands of his citizens? Or President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran? Or Fidel and Raul Castro of Cuba? Or Kim Jong Il of North Korea? Amnesty wants Bush arrested but has not demanded the arrest of these brutal dictators?
Amnesty’s call for Bush’s arrest was a blatantly partisan act — and it wasn’t the first time the group had done so. Last October, when Bush traveled to British Columbia, the group demanded that Canada arrest him as well, declaring Canada’s failure to do so would “demonstrate contempt for fundamental human rights.” At the time, Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney blasted Amnesty, declaring, “This kind of stunt helps explain why so many respected human rights advocates have abandoned Amnesty International.”
He is right. And it is time for others to do the same. Amnesty International seeks to be part of the fabric of decision-making in Washington — testifying in Congress, meeting with U.S. officials and participating in policy debates and decisions. Demanding the arrest of a former American president should disqualify it from playing such a role. If Amnesty wants to wallow in the fever swamps of political discourse, then it should pay a price for doing so. The group should henceforth be shunned by official Washington. Members of Congress should refuse to meet with Amnesty officials or allow them to testify on Capitol Hill. Think tanks should refuse to include them on panels or study groups. And the next Republican administration should consider them a pariah. If Amnesty wants to behave like a left-wing fringe group, it should expect to be treated as such..
