In a statement released on June 4, Speaker Nancy Pelosi commemorated the 18th anniversary of the protest and massacre at Tiananmen Square.

* In a statement released on June 4, Speaker Nancy Pelosi commemorated the 18th anniversary of the protest and massacre at Tiananmen Square. Pelosi called the anniversary an opportunity not only to remember the protesters, but to "reaffirm our commitment to the principles of freedom and democracy of which they dreamed." She reminded us of the consistently deplorable state of human rights in China, and pointed to evidence of new efforts on the part of the regime to curtail peaceful demonstrations in advance of the 2008 Olympics (which will be in Beijing). Pelosi, who represents San Francisco, which has a significant Chinese-American population, has a history of interest and involvement in China. In 1991, she protested in Tiananmen Square itself. If only she were as valiant on human rights elsewhere in the world--in Syria, for example. Still, we commend her for trying to keep Tiananmen alive in the collective memory.