The Congressional Black Caucus, which is overwhelmingly Democratic, does not often make common cause with the Bush administration. However, caucus members and other members of Congress have good reason to support the president's push for stiffer sanctions against Zimbabwe.

On Saturday, President Bush called for an international arms embargo against the southern African nation, as well as tightened economic sanctions. He took those steps to protest the sham runoff election held last week, in which Zimbabweans were physically intimidated into casting votes for tyrant Robert Mugabe. The government-sponsored violence against those supporting Mugabe's rival, Morgan Tsvangirai, was so severe that Tsvangirai was forced to withdraw to save supporters from the savagery of Mugabe's police and army.

However, because of opposition from China, South Africa and other countries, the U.N. is unlikely to approve an arms embargo. South African President Thabo Mbeki has refused to condemn Mugabe, calling his misrule an internal matter.

Some international human rights activists have said they feared a backlash if they harshly criticized Mugabe, who in the past has dismissed opponents as tools of white colonialist oppressors. But Zimbabweans seem well past believing that nonsense. It's likely that Tsvangirai would have won the election had it been free and fair.

While the U.N.'s inaction is tragic, vigorous condemnation of Mugabe by the U.S. government, including prominent black members of Congress, could begin to change international opinion. In contrast to Mbeki's coddling of the tyrant, other highly respected African leaders have weighed in. Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu criticized Mugabe in no uncertain terms. "His regime has turned into a horrendous nightmare. He should stand down," Tutu said, while Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga called the election a "fake victory."

The grand old man of South African politics, Nelson Mandela, issued his own, gentler rebuke, referring to a "tragic failure of leadership" in Zimbabwe. Mandela is hardly a stooge of white colonialists.

— Cynthia Tucker, for the editorial board