Bush Refuses to Condemn Saudi Court’s Punishment of Gang Rape Victim

In his second inaugural address, President Bush stridently declared that his administration would not compromise on its demand for basic human rights:

We will persistently clarify the choice before every ruler and every nation: The moral choice between oppression, which is always wrong, and freedom, which is eternally right. America will not pretend...that women welcome humiliation and servitude.

A week ago, a Saudi appeals court increased the punishment for the female victim of a gang rape. The woman, who had been appealing her original sentence of 90 lashes, was sentenced to six months in prison and 200 lashes after her appeal.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice referred to these goals as the "non-negotiable demands of human dignity." But a recent Saudi court decision has shown the administration very willing to fold when this rhetoric is tested.