Tom Lantos, Holocaust survivor, Dem congressman, has died

A good man.

Lantos, who referred to himself as "an American by choice," was born to Jewish parents in Budapest, Hungary, and was 16 when Adolf Hitler occupied Hungary in 1944. He survived by escaping from the labor camp and coming under the protection of Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat who used his official status and visa-issuing powers to save thousands of Hungarian Jews.

Lantos' mother and much of his family perished in the Holocaust.

And yes, he was a vigorous supporter of the Iraq war, but even our heroes are permitted a few mistakes in life, albeit big ones.