Reply #6: Agreed. Teresa is truly an asset in these types of settings.

[beachmom]

Also, don't forget that she was a student activist in South Africa protesting Apartheid (and getting kicked out of the country for her political activities). She grew up in Africa, and I think she still views it as home to a certain extent. In short, she really cares about that continent. It's really good to hear she is accompanying the Senator to Sudan. Not to be overly dramatic, but my assumption is that everyone he meets with from the Sudanese government is potentially a war criminal and truly evil. The President of Sudan has already been charged with war crimes by the ICC:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/04/omar-bashir-sudan-president-arrest

The Sudanese president, Omar al-Bashir, has been charged with war crimes over the conflict in Darfur, becoming the first sitting head of state issued with an arrest warrant by the international criminal court (ICC).

The court, based in The Hague, upheld the request of the chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, to charge Bashir with war crimes and crimes against humanity. More than 200,000 people have died since 2003 in the country's western Darfur region.

Judges dismissed the prosecution's most contentious charge of genocide. Prosecutors had alleged Bashir tried to wipe out three non-Arab ethnic groups.

Within minutes of the announcement, hundreds of protesters took to the streets in Khartoum, the Sudanese capital.

Mustafa Osman Ismail, an aide to Bashir, described the decision as "neo-colonialism ... They do not want Sudan to become stable."

The ICC spokeswoman, Laurence Blairon, said the indictment, drawn up by three judges, included five counts of crimes against humanity: murder, extermination, forcible transfer, torture and rape. The two counts of war crimes were for directing attacks on the civilian population and pillaging.

Blairon said Bashir was criminally responsible as the head of state and commander of the Sudanese armed forces for the offences during a five-year counter-insurgency campaign against three armed groups in Darfur.

I think Teresa has an excellent talent in judging someone's character. Those skills will be put to good use in Sudan.