White House, State Department back Russian punk band

Standing up for liberty can create some strange bedfellows: Like the State Department and the reportedly orgy-loving, cathedral-desecrating feminist punk band Pussy Riot. By now, Russia's draconian two-year jail sentence thrown at the band for "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred" has sparked headlines around the world. But who knew the wonks over at the White House and the State Department would be joining Alicia Silverstone, and these protesters in expressing solidarity with the group? 

"The United States is concerned about both the verdict and the disproportionate sentences handed down by a Moscow court in the case against the members of the band Pussy Riot and the negative impact on freedom of expression in Russia," read a statement by spokeswoman Victoria Nuland. Righteously, the department didn't even shy away from slapping "Pussy Riot" in its headline.

Read the rest at The Atlantic Wire.