George Clooney Speaks Out On Sudan

Will Be Part Of Save Darfur Demonstration In Washington Sunday

(CBS)  For his part, Obama called the crisis in Darfur a "slow-rolling genocide" and said the matter requires immediate action.

"We're not using our weight politically and diplomatically in the international community," he lamented.

There is not enough time to ask and hope for troop commitments from other nations, he explained. There is simply "a raw, humanitarian appeal to be made in this situation."

Echoing Clooney's sentiments about the cost of standing idly by in the face of suffering, Brownback quoted Holocaust survivor and author Elie Wiesel: "What hurts victims most is not the cruelty of the oppressor, but the silence of the bystander."

"George Clooney is giving a voice to people without a voice," Brownback stated, "because with that voice, they die. They die."

Brownback said that like Clooney and his father, people should take "impact trips" to educate themselves about the systemic problems plaguing those in far-flung lands.

"Go to Kigali, Rwanda, instead of Paris or London," Brownback said. "Pick your spot" and learn about it, he urged.

Noting that he himself was "late to the game in Africa," Clooney said there has also been a dearth of exposure on what has become the first genocide of the 21st century.

"It's been hard to find stories about genocide," Clooney said, "because it's not sexy." That needs to change, he said, because "we need to step up and say 'genocide'" is taking place.

The actor and director will certainly bring more attention to the issue when he participates in the Save the Darfur Coalition's rally on the National Mall, taking place April 30.