In the classic novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelly wrote of a scientist who created a monster. That monster eventually turned on his creator. An updated version of that story is occurring as we speak.
When Cindy Sheehan first came to our attention, she was a mother grieving over the loss of her son Casey in Iraq. She was anti-war, she claimed, so that other mothers would not feel the pain she was. She was everywhere and on TV nearly every night. The Democrats courted her and she fell for them in a big way. She became obsessed with publicity.
Then something funny happened, Ms. Sheehan showed what her true thoughts were. She was seen kissing and hugging Hugo Chavez, she camped out in Crawford, TX and she became a near parody of what most thought she was. She got away with it all thanks to her enablers on the left and her "absolute moral authority." Other military moms were not so quick to follow her lead.That was the point at which Democrats realized they had an election approaching and Sheehan was no longer an asset politically, she became a liability.
Cindy Sheehan took her anger out again yesterday, but this time it was directed at the Democrats on their first day back in power (video here):
"We didn't put you in power to work with the people that have been murdering hundreds of thousands of people since they have been in power," Sheehan said. "We put you in power to be opposition to them finally and we're the ones who put them in power."
Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., cut the press conference short when protests drowned out his voice through a dozen microphones set up to record his comments. Emanuel said Democrats would go back to the caucus room and return later.
This question has been asked myriad times, including by me, What direction will the Democrats take? They were brought to power on an anti-war wave, will they ride that wave and pull out of Iraq, or will they take the realistic long view and finish the job. Cindy Sheehan could make them very uncomfortable should they not choose the former.
Reader Comments ( Page 3 of 4)
31. Mz Sheehan is no different than thousands of mothers before her that suffered the pain of a soldiers ultimate sacrifice. My mother was one of those. She did not disgrace the signifigance of her sons unselfish devotion to his country. She hurt just as bad as this person but she refused to allow herself to be used by anyone or any ideal that would take away the honor her son deserved. My brother and my mother are heroes to me. Their sacricfices have ben with me for years and will be for years to come. Mz. Sheehan, honor your son and his memory, do not ruin him in the court of public domain.
Lloyd at 11:28AM on Jan 4th 2007
32. I admire Cindy Sheehan for her courage to continue to speak out against on the war in Iraq. Having just read her book, I am even more convinced of her courage in the face of the grief of losing her son in a war that was unjust, a war that is continuing to go from bad to worse. Her question continues to haunt Bush: For what noble cause did her son (and so many other young people) die? (and thousands of others sustain serious injuries) I'm glad Cindy is still out there making headlines.
carol nelson at 9:30AM on Jan 5th 2007
33. Curiously absent in most, if not all of the dialogue about "the job," finished or otherwise, is any discussion or mention of the thousands upon thousands of innocent Iraquis who have died for a cause which has not even been intelligently articulated.
Very likely, Cindy Sheehan triggers such harsh reactions because she speaks as a person with nothing left to lose. The pretend reasoning will never work for her again. The real question is: "Why does it work so well for the rest of us? Why are we so willing to kill innocent people in order to make them "free?" How do dead and starving people enjoy liberty? When the entire infrastructure of a country is gone, how does the sought after justice get delivered?
We are responsible for the deaths of young people, who are in the situation they are in large part because of "deciders" who risk and sacrifice nothing in order to play war with real people. The prospect of sending people at random into war - young, old, rich, poor, educated, priviliged and destitute alike - would bring a very different result very quickly. We would, then, not be so willing to let anyone "decide" what others should fight and die for, without due consideration of the consequences.
Marie N at 11:35AM on Jan 4th 2007
34. I'm still trying to figure out how Hugo Chavez fits into this, other than his comments about President Bush being "the devil". I understand that she has lost a major part of her life, but the way she is dealing with it is out of control.
It is unrealistic for anyone to believe we could, in good conscience, simply pull our troops out of Iraq. The attacks that are going on now are between different ethnic groups and are unrelated to our presence there...they will not diminish if we leave, but would probably increase and could lead to a full civil war. We certainly need to remember who got us into this mess (thank you, Mr. President), but we can't expect any group of people to be able to fix this in a short time.
Continue to remember the troops in your thoughts and prayers, and hope that peace can find its way into that entire region.
And don't go hug Hugo Chavez.
S. Langelett at 12:35PM on Jan 4th 2007
35. Poor Ms. Sheehan has once again succeeded in grabbing air time for the kooks who support left- wing, America hating regimes worldwide, as well as native born American New Left socialists controlling America's college campuses among other things.
The latest shameful display prevented the normal course of dialogue between politicians and the American people through the media. In short, disrupting and destroying the American civil government is the goal of radical extremists like Ms. Sheehan.
Cindy wins a temporary victory of totalitarian opression and mirrors exactly what she and her ilk would implement for all of us if they could.
I await the next installment of warmed over communist tactics via Ms. Pathetic.
icanplainlysee at 11:47AM on Jan 4th 2007
36.
Hey, Listen up guys, when the AOL report here says, "or will the Democrats, who won on an anti-war agenda, TAKE THE LONG, MORE REALISTIC (or whatever other blather the report called it) view and FINISH THE JOB, you already know which side the report is on: They want the war to go on!
Cindy's point is, I believe, that THE JOB IS DONE ALREADY. Our country, over filthy, warmongering, war-profiteering LIES, has already done ENOUGH damage to Iraq, and her brave people. Bush oredered the hanging of one tyrant, Saddam. But, he broke the Constitution when he lied to Congress with what he knew was incorrect intelligence, to be in position to have Saddam killed.
It was all about two things: Control of Saddam's vast oil reserves, AND Revenge. Cindy is right to call Dems' attention to the narrow win, and it was narrow, especially in the Senate where there were as few as 4,000 votes that separated Burns from Testor in Montana that Democrat, Testor won.
That tiny majority is what gave Democrats control of the US Senate, by ONE Senate vote: 51 Dems, 49 GOP. Democrats need to stick to the issue that they won on. It's brave and bold. Democrats like boldness and bravery. The rest of Democrats will vote Democratic for the same reasons that most GOP voters vote Republican: because they are either Democrats, or Republicans by birth.
Ron Dahlke at 12:03PM on Jan 4th 2007
37. Ron Dahlke at 12:03PM on Jan 4th 2007
Dear Sir,
I would urge you to reexamine your support for anything Cindy Sheehan puts forth. Even a broken watch is right twice a day.
Ms.Sheehan shows signs of emotional and spiritual fatigue, feeding her now bloated ego with the carbs of hate and destruction, not to mention self promotion. A gathering of totalitarian hens at this last press conference temporarily succeeded in bringing the democratic free exchange of ideas to a halt. Do you support that way of conducting business in America?
Ms. Sheehan needs a nice, long rest before she melts down, again in public, and people like you sir.. feeding her drive to destroy America in favor of radical leftist means of conducting government, only hurries her collapse.
Let her fade from the spotlight and seek peace.
icanplainlysee at 12:39PM on Jan 4th 2007
38.
The real monster here is the Iraq War and its creators: Dr. Bush and company. Demonizing Cindy Sheehan won't change that. Many people who have lost children in the useless war have been wanting an explanation from this alleged president-why are we there and what are their kids dying for?
Let's place the blame where it lies instead of making Cindy Sheehan the scapegoat.
M. at 12:41PM on Jan 4th 2007
39. I have no axe to grind with dubya about Iraq, but I would take issue with him for siding with the dems as far as the border is concerned. In my opinion, he has been right most of the time as far as Iraq is concerned, but it is not the responsibilities of the American tax payers to support illegal aliens, regardless of their country of origin, if they are retired or other wise. Close the borders surrounding our Country, and if possible, close the borders surrounding Iraq.
R Terrell at 12:56PM on Jan 4th 2007
40. Unbelievable. Both the story, and many of the comments. Unbelievable. Sheehan has made a mockery of her son's sacrifice for the enjoyment of the Libs for far too long. She was held up to the rest of us by the Dems while she was useful, but now they want to kick her to the curb. Typical. I was in Crawford while she was there, and in Washington D. C. during her 4th of July "hunger strike". Absolutely laughable and tawdry on both counts. Those of you that are just against the war for any reason, no logic or reason necessary, are simply too naive to be taken seriously. We are so short sighted in this country as to be almost rediculous. Those of you who don't see the bigger picture will be the ones who suffer most when things get their worst, but you won't want to take any responsibility for leading us down the garden path. I hope you've got some supplies stockpiled, you're going to need them. Or your grandchildren will, because ofr you selling them out. Pitiful.
Mac McKinney at 12:59PM on Jan 4th 2007
41. Dear fellow Americans,It is so important to research factsand i would like to know if Cndi actually raised her son or if he lived with the father. The one thing the grieving mom has forgot is that whether she agreed with her son or not about war. Anyone know if he enlisted willingly or his feelings about the cause for which he sacrificed his life? If he was not of the same thinking of his mom, then she has no rights to disgrace his sacrifice!Would love to get the facts Thanks,ANNA
anna at 1:36PM on Jan 4th 2007
42. If some people truly support this Iraq war, why don't they serve in Iraq themselves? They do not have to be in the military. Over half of American personnel in Iraq are with non-governmental groups. Better yet, pro-war citizens should stay home and help the FAMILIES of soldiers in Iraq. Be the family's soccer coach, tutor the children, cook, clean, do repairs, babysit, and just plain be friendly.
James R. Richard at 1:38PM on Jan 4th 2007
43. Cindy Sheehan, however correct or misguided, is a voice for Americans that do not support the war in Iraq. It's easy to take pop shots at the personal flaws of people that step into the public arena, and Cindy is no worse than George Bush at fueling our ability to do so. But it isn't about Cindy. She didn't get ANYBODY killed by pursuing a failed "policy"; GWB and the past Congress and Senate hold that reponsibility. And in America, we USE TO hold people accountable for bad decisions and poor performance.
Tell her to go home? How unAmerican is that? Tell her to be quiet? Go ahead. But when you do that, ask yourself what America really stands for and who our troops are supposedly "protecting".
George Dudash at 1:41PM on Jan 4th 2007
44. Scheehans'Time & Place is Now ,just like Mine......
it's a good thing.
J.d. Pope at 3:37PM on Jan 4th 2007
45. When bush was running for presedent in 1999 he said we were going into iraq.He was elected and he did exactly what he said he was going to do.A few thousand more american soldiers will die there.Would the people who are objecting to this war rather see a mushroom cloud over d.c or new york,or have some anthrax in the water system or some other horrible tragic attack on america.Something worse than 911 probably will happen here.Then the people who are protesting the war will be outraged that we didnt do anything to stop it.As americans we must SUPPORT what is being done in Iraq and Afganistan.If we dont those IDIOTS will have us Americans where they want us,in fear.This time i want my government and military prepared to stop what those LUNITICS have planned.
mark at 11:25AM on Jan 5th 2007