The Senate Armed Services Committee was trying to conduct a hearing last week when a group of Code Pink members holding signs began chanting "Arrest Henry Kissinger for war crimes."

Kissinger, who served as Secretary of State under two administrations and was to be a witness, had taken his seat when a group of the protesters stood over him shouting while one of them dangled a pair of handcuffs over the head of the veteran statesman.After the disturbance died down, Sen. John McCain, who was presiding over the hearing, said he had never seen anything as disgraceful and outrageous and when the protesters resumed the disruption, McCain let them have it."You're going to have to shut up or I'll have you arrested," he said in a controlled voice. "Get out of here, you low-life scum."After police finally escorted the protesters from the room, McCain went on to apologize. He later said he was mainly concerned for the health of Kissinger who is recovering from shoulder surgery.Code Pink has a history of conducting marches and protests with high-visibility publicity stunts. They focus on anti-war issues, but also take positions on gun control, social justice, Palestinian statehood, green jobs and health care issues. At one demonstration they targeted Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas, describing the black justice as a "dumb-s scumbag" who should be "put back in the fields."The organization also advertises itself as women-initiated and both of its co-founders have sordid backgrounds. Jodie Evans has institutional ties to Mike Roselle, co-founders of the radical environmental organization Earth First! which is ranked high by the FBI as a domestic terrorism threat.Susan Benjamin supports terrorist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood. To show her solidarity with anything that is not American sounding she changed her name to Medea Benjamin.In 2006, Code Pink leaders traveled to Venezuela to meet with the murderous dictator Hugo Chavez. After the trip, Evans blogged, "He was a doll. Generous, open, passionate, excited, stimulated by the requests and happy to be planning with us."Benjamin lived in Cuba for a time and was enamored with Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. She said life in Cuba was so great it "made it seem like I died and went to heaven."In 2008, Code Pink leaders met with then-Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in New York City and after that meeting, Benjamin and Evans accepted an invitation to visit Iran as his guests. The two praised Iran's leadership.Instead of taking on the plight of Muslim women, who are being denied their most basic human rights in places like Iran, Code Pink chooses to rail against America or pick on a 91-year-old American statesmen who won the Nobel Peace Prize. No wonder many cheered when Sen. McCain let them have it with both barrels last week.By JIM ZBICKeditor@tnonline.com