Who's
Behind Cindy Sheehan?
By
Cliff Kincaid and Roger Aronoff | August 15, 2005
The
story of Cindy Sheehan is a sad story all the way round. It is
sad she lost her son in the Iraq War. It is sad that she is
being exploited by far left. It is also sad that she is being
exploited by the media and that she seems to enjoy it.
The latest example of this crass exploitation is the August 13
page-one story in the Washington Post about how the anti-war
mother has gained "visibility." The Post and other
media have given her this "visibility." They are
feeding off one another to promote an anti-war agenda.
Sheehan, who once described herself as friendly toward
President Bush, now says she wants to personally meet with the
President and for him to "tell me that my son died for
oil." She wants to say to Bush: "You tell me that my
son died to make your friends rich. You tell me my son died to
spread the cancer of Pax Americana, imperialism in the Middle
East."
As Byron York of National Review noted, Sheehan has also said
that without left-wing bloggers promoting her cause, America
would already be a "fascist state."
In her view, therefore, an effort to transform the Middle East
by creating a democratic state in Iraq has become
"imperialism" and "cancer," and the U.S.
is itself close to becoming a fascist state. She may be a
"crackpot," as Fred Barnes of Fox News commented,
but she is also someone to be pitied because she has clearly
been brainwashed.
Consider how her views have changed...
Sheehan's son Army Spc. Casey Sheehan was killed in Iraq in
April of 2004. And like all families who have lost children
serving their country, they are owed our gratitude and
respect, and our condolences. Mrs. Sheehan was not happy about
how the war was going even last year when she and her family
met with Bush. She had criticized the handling of the war, and
accused Bush of having "changed his reasons for being
over there every time a reason is proven false or an objective
reached."
But after meeting with him, she told the Reporter, of
Vacaville, California, that "I now know he's sincere
about wanting freedom for the Iraqis. I know he's very sorry
and feels some pain for our loss. And I know he's a man of
faith." And being with other families in similar
situations apparently made the family feel better. "That
was the gift the President gave us, the gift of happiness, of
being together," Mrs. Sheehan told the paper.
Mrs. Sheehan went from being somewhat critical of the war to
believing that the U.S. is on an imperial crusade and that the
President himself is an evil man.
A tip-off as to what happened to Mrs. Sheehan is that she has
been blogging on the website of Michael Moore, who is known
for his far-left politics, dishonest
"documentaries," and comparing the terrorists in
Iraq to the Minutemen, the patriots who fought in the American
Revolution. One of her blog entries said, "We have such a
strong coalition of groups. GSFP, Code Pink, Veterans for
Peace, Military Families Speak Out and the Crawford Peace
House."
The New York Sun did something the media never
do―analyze the groups that have embraced Mrs. Sheehan.
It notes that the Crawford Peace House website, for example,
includes a photo of the entire nation of Israel identified
only as "Palestine." In other words, Israel has been
wiped out. The Crawford Peace House also directs people to
several other groups, including the National Meditation Center
for World Peace.
Mrs. Sheehan has become a media star, writing on her blog,
"I did tons of interviews. It looks like I will be on the
cover of People Magazine. Time Magazine, Vanity Fair and
Oprah's magazine will be interviewing me also."
One can assume that these news organizations will neglect the
critical matter of how Mrs. Sheehan has become, in effect, a hostage
of far-left elements.
The Sheehan family is itself divided. The Drudge Report posted
an email from other members of the Sheehan family, including
Casey Sheehan's grandparents, aunts, uncles and numerous
cousins, who said in part that "We do not agree with the
political motivations and publicity tactics of Cindy Sheehan.
She now appears to be promoting her own personal agenda and
notoriety at the expense of her son's good name and
reputation. The rest of the Sheehan Family supports the
troops, our country, and our President, silently, with prayer
and respect."
True respect for Casey Sheehan's sacrifice also requires
exposing those who want the U.S. to fail and the terrorists in
Iraq to win. Is this now Cindy Sheehan's notion of
"peace?" Why don't reporters ask her? Or are
they afraid of the answer?
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