Democratic candidates condemn Saudi rape case outrage

President Bush remains shamefully silent, but Democratic presidential candidates are speaking out against a Saudi court's decision to flog and imprison a woman for riding in the car of a male non-relative. The punishment arose from the prosecution of the seven men who gang raped her. The rapists received sentences ranging from two to nine years.

The rape victim was also sentenced. Originally, she received a penalty of 90 lashes and three months in jail. Then, she appealed the verdict. The court responded by increasing her punishment to 200 lashes and six months behind bars.

In an earlier post, I noted with disappointment that a State Department spokesman had declined to offer an opinion about what he described as "a judicial procedure overseas in the court of a sovereign country."

Later, outgoing Homeland Security official Fran Townsend did go so far as to describe the case as "reprehensible."

However, the administration seems reluctant to exert any pressure on the Saudi government.

On the campaign trail, Democratic candidates for president criticized Bush for his reticence.

Calling the decision "an outrage," Sen. Hillary Clinton urged President Bush to protest the decision to the Saudi authorities.

"The Bush administration has refused to condemn the sentence and said it will not protest an internal Saudi decision," the Democrat presidential front-runner said in a statement.

"I urge President Bush to call on King Abdullah [of Saudi Arabia] to cancel the ruling and drop all charges against this woman."

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The decision to punish the victim of a gang rape "is an appalling breach of the most fundamental human rights," said Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards.

"I am outraged that President Bush has refused to condemn the sentence," he said.

Meanwhile, Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Joe Biden accused the Saudi judiciary of not only trying to silence this victim, but also trying to prevent future victims from coming forward.

Considering Bush's insistence that the enfranchisement of Arab women is a cornerstone of his "War on Terror," his failure so far to make his feelings known on this matter is inexcusable.