The Power Of Celebrity

This column was written by CBS News Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith.

Several days ago I started reading about the rantings of Sudan's President al-Bashir and his insistence that African Union peacekeepers, who have managed to hold a flimsy lid on the genocide wreaked by his rule, be made to leave at the end of the month.

Darfur has been a killing field for several years now and the death toll is at least 200,000 — maybe as much as a half million. It's Arab-Muslims raping and killing their African-Muslim countrymen. Militias known as the janjaweed rule the streets.

Clooney went to the region last spring to see for himself. He went to the U.N. Thursday to call for intervention in Darfur because he knew the cameras would follow.

I showed up and we gave the story four minutes on The Early Show it might not have gotten otherwise.

Clooney could do most anything with his time and celebrity. He's put his heart and his reputation in the right place.