House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr. started his hearing with Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales off with a bang this morning, kicking protesters out of the room.

Upon his entrance into the hearing room packed with reporters, photographers and observers, the Michigan Democrat was obviously irritated when he saw four women dressed in orange and pink, one of them standing with her hands behind her back and a black veil over her face.

Moments after Mr. Conyers saw them, three large, uniformed Capitol Police officers removed the women.

After the hearing began, Rep. Dan Lungren, California Republican, asked Mr. Conyers to remove two more protesters, one sporting a banner.

"This is not a star chamber. This is supposed to be a hearing," Mr. Lungren said.

Mr. Conyers said he agreed, and told the remaining protesters to leave.

"This is not a political rally," Mr. Conyers said, as Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin, wearing a t-shirt that said "Arrest Gonzales," stood up. "And do not make any statements."

Ms. Benjamin offered to take the gold badges off her hat and shirt if she could stay.

"Oh, come on, this has gone on long enough," Mr. Conyers fumed.

Ms. Benjamin was escorted out, though one lone protester with just a pink shirt was allowed to stay. She was quiet for the rest of the hearing.

After a break for voting, House members came back to a hearing room that had been cleared of all the protesters by Capitol Police.

Mr. Conyers, who served in the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers during the Korean War, walked through a group of Code Pink protesters in the hallway and was taunted with cries of "war criminal."

-- Jon Ward, White House correspondent, The Washington Times