On Keith Olbermann's "Countdown", Mr. Olbermann interviewed the mother of Army Specialist Casey Sheehan, who died at Sadr City, Iraq, in April 2004. She held a news conference of her own, joined by other families. Cindy Sheehan pledged to stay camped outside that ranch for the duration of the president's August vacation, adding that if he does not talk with her there, she may to go Washington in September. She says she wants to ask him why he killed her son.
(rustle, rustle, plop)
Wait. Listen. Did you hear that? What was that sound?
KEITH OLBERMANN: And while the President did not talk with her directly today, he did finally address her presence and her purpose...(to Ms. Sheehan) You heard what the President said today at his news conference. What's your response to that?
CINDY SHEEHAN, GOLD STAR MOTHER: I don't want the President's sympathy. You know, I want to talk to him, and I want answers to my questions. And I want him to tell me the noble cause that my son died for. And I want him to stop using my son's name and the name of the other lost loved ones and Gold Star Families for Peace. We want him to stop using our children's name to justify the continued killing.
(rustle, thump, rustle, plop, rustle)
There it goes again, Do you hear it now? Sounds like it's getting louder. Hear it?
OLBERMANN: As I mentioned earlier, as is well known here, you spoke with Mr. Bush last year, and your comments to your local newspaper in California about that meeting have made the rounds anew on the Internet this week, how you had said that you had felt he was sincere about wanting freedom for the Iraqis, that he had felt obviously some pain for your loss.
Two questions about those quotes, first being, your critics say they suggest that you have changed your stance on the war, on Mr. Bush, in the interim. Is that true, or is it false?
SHEEHAN: No, it's false. If they had read the whole article, or talked about the whole article, it would have shown that I was already having serious misgivings about the mission that keeps on changing all the time.
And the other day, I wonder if they blogged about this. My hometown newspaper said Cindy Sheehan has not changed her position. It's just become clarified and it's become more focused, and her mission has become more important to her.
(plop, thump, plop, rustle, plop, thump)
What is that sound? It is getting louder.
OLBERMANN: Second question about the meeting in June of last year. What could you say to President Bush now that you could not have said to him then? Or why didn't you say then what you want to say now?
SHEEHAN: Good question. June of 2004 is a lot different than August of 2005. For one thing, in June of 2004, I had buried my son nine weeks before the meeting. I was a woman in a deep state of shock, in a deep state of grief. And you know what? I am still in a deep state of grief. And thanks to George Bush, I will be in a deep state of grief for the rest of my life.But I'm not in shock anymore. The Duelfer weapons of mass destruction report came out, the 9/11 commission report came out, the Downing Street memos came out, the Senate Intelligence Committee report came out. These have all come out since my son was killed. They show categorically that my son, his murder was premeditated, that there was no reason to invade Iraq.
And that's what I want the answers to today, in August of 2005.
(Thump, plop, thump, plop, thump, plop)
Sounds like the plops and thumps are getting closer together now. And louder. What is that sound?
OLBERMANN: Another part of this story that has developed in terms of the criticism and this political flashpoint that has developed around you, that seems so reminiscent of a lot of protests. I kept thinking about your camp there, and it sort of being a parallel world to that, the whole Terri Schiavo protest situation that just became a Mideast phenomenon.
There is an e-mail that purports to be from members of your family that denounces your presence there in Crawford. It was sent to a right-wing Web site. Is there any truth in it? Are there members of your family who are upset with what you're doing there?
SHEEHAN: There's members of my...they're my in-laws. And we have always been politically on the opposite sides of the fence. And we always kind of did it good-naturedly. You know, my father-in-law would call me Meathead and I would call him Archie, and we would just fight about politics all the time
(plop, thump, whirrrrrrr)
Wow, the plops and thumps have melded into one endless whirr now. WHAT IS THAT SOUND?
But you know what? When they supported George Bush in November, and when they voted for the man who I consider killed their grandson, that's when--that was it. That, to me, was a betrayal of Casey, and it hurt me so deeply. I haven't spoken to them since.
And our family, Casey's dad and my other three children, are 100 percent behind me and agree with me philosophically about what's going on. I just talked to my husband, and he said, he said, Cindy, you know I've always supported you philosophically. I know George Bush did the wrong thing, and I had nothing to do with what my sister wrote
(WHIRRRRR)
Really loud now. It shakes the ground. WHAT IS THAT SOUND? WHERE IS IT COMING FROM?
OLBERMANN: The nature of the media coverage you're getting now, the response from other families of soldiers killed in Iraq, all of that, from the perspective of your protest there, in a way, isn't it really better if President Bush doesn't meet with you?
SHEEHAN: I would think so, yes. I think it's great. And if he would come out right now, it would really defuse the momentum, and I don't want to give them any hints. And I think that's something they've probably already thought about.
But, you know, but we're here. We're committed. We're staying the whole month of August, and then we're moving to Washington, D.C. And we're going to have a 24-hour vigil on his front lawn to keep the pressure on. The pressure is there. Sixty-two percent of Americans want our troops home. And this is giving them a voice to stand up and be counted and say, You know, we want our country back, and we want our troops home.
(WHIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!)
The sound is very loud now. It reverberates up from the ground, and surrounds us. It echoes up the hills and mountains, and sweeps through the valleys.
I know what it is! I've discovered the source of the sound! It is here, below our feet!
It is the sound of Casey Sheehan, virtually spinning in his grave.
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Seriously, when I first heard of this poor mother, who lost her beloved son in Iraq, my heart went out to her. I sympathized.
But now I have a different opinion. I think this is a matter of a woman taking advantage of her 15 minutes of fame, and exploiting it for all it's worth. I don't doubt that she has suffered pain from the loss of her son. But I think she's over that now. At least, as over it as she will ever be.
There are people who will exploit every opportunity to get attention. (My ex-wife is one of them.) Ms. Sheehan mourns her son's death, I am sure. But I think her son's death is secondary, now, to her craving for the spotlight.
Read what she said. She tipped her hand: "...if he would come out right now, it would really defuse the momentum, and I don't want to give them any hints. And I think that's something they've probably already thought about."
She doesn't really want to talk to the President! She just wants attention. She reminds me somewhat of Roseanne Barr.
Remember?
Everytime Roseannes popularity waned a little, she would insinuate her name into the headlines again, either announcing she once had lesbian relations or announcing she once tried prostitution. After a while, people got tired of hearing even that sensationalism. Where is Roseanne now?
Cindy Sheehan will eventually lose her audience. And then she will show up in the news again, over some other issue. She might have been a good mother. I don't know. But she is a bad survivor. I feel sorry for her. But not because she lost her son.
Because she has lost her integrity.
Here is a must read for anyone who supports Cindy Sheehan and for Ms Sheehan herself.
Lie Of The Day
"She's not a candidate, and I don't know that she will be," claimed Bill Clinton, on Hillary's prospects for '08.
THE TRUTH:
Willy, please. We know you're itching to be "First Man." You actually expect us to believe that the two of you haven't already mapped out the whole campaign?
16 comments:
Am I the only one noticing there are no Democrats jumping on this story??
The media is, but the Dems want nothing to do with it.
That interview is just awful!
She's not even bothering to play the grieving mom on TV!
At first I said that the media were exploiting Sheehan and playing off her pain. Then I said the she was using the media.
Now, I think that Sheehan is exploiting her son.
This is really pathetic.
I agree with Mark. This is disturbingly frequent at times.
Some other points anout her real agenda. 1st, Olbermann says:
"...your critics say they suggest that you have changed your stance on the war, on Mr. Bush..."
Critics? Did anyone know she had critics? She didn't have until the press got onto this story, or rather, made a story out of it. Now, the more she talks to the press, the less she seems like a victim and the more she sounds like just a typical Bush hating liberal.
2nd: "My hometown newspaper said Cindy Sheehan has not changed her position." So, she's friendly with her hometown newspaper. How friendly? This doth bespeak great mystery, and muddy secrets to be told.
Then, there's this gem: "The Duelfer weapons of mass destruction report came out, the 9/11 commission report came out, the Downing Street memos came out, the Senate Intelligence Committee report came out. These have all come out since my son was killed. They show categorically that my son, his murder was premeditated, that there was no reason to invade Iraq."
Sounds coached, rehearsed, scripted.
Then, "Casey's dad and my other three children, are 100 percent behind me and agree with me philosophically about what's going on. I just talked to my husband, and he said, he said, Cindy, you know I've always supported you philosophically. I know George Bush did the wrong thing, and I had nothing to do with what my sister wrote."
I read on another site that she and her husband are seperated, and He has had "no comment" about this.
But the last part, the part about how she doesn't relly want Bush to come out and talk to her because she would have no more reason to be in the news if he did....well, I guess that proves my point, now, doesn't it?
OK. Now I think you're beating your dead horse.
Re, "typical Bush hating liberal."
She most certainly is not that. She is, however, a typical Bush hating liberal whose son is dead. Big, big differences, and no matter WHAT she says, or does, for whatever reason, that fact must always be taken into consideration.
Is she "milking" it? That's a crass way to put it. But, sure. And she has not only the right to, but her dead son gives her license to.
The press is giving her the attention she deserves, by the way. And if Bush, and his fans on the right, can't stand the heat, then they need to get out of Truman's kichen.
Nothing, friend, will turn a moderate left like a right-winger riding a grieving mother's ass. If y'all don't back off and give her space, you will regret it.
My wife and I, actually had a real heated argument about this last night. I was on your side, as far as analysis of what she's doing. Dr. ER says Bush lowers himself by refusing to meet with her. I say no, he would lower himself by doing so. It's too late. She has become a real anti-war-anti-Bush rallying point.
I am not against the war in Iraq. But I do not pretend that we are over there for any of the damn reason Bush & Co. said. My wife calls him a liar. I think he's more of a dope, myself. But we are there, we should stay until the job is finished.
And now Iran is gettin' back on its "nucular" horse. North Korea. And what can Bush say about it? Nothing. Nobody would believe a dang word he says about it. He shot his wad on Iraq.
And over the course of this month, I hope many, many WMD-chickens come home to roost in a field outside Crawford, Texas.
Beating a dead horse? Yes, I guess I am.
But so is she.
Bush is not going to abruptly end this war because some people don't agree with it. Nor is he going to bring the troops home until he is satisfied the work is done.
She needs to find another way to mourn. Bringing down the morale of the soldiers in Iraq in the name of one dead soldier who died fighting for freedom is not the way.
Sheehan, through grief, stress or whatever, has gone koo-koo land. Her arguments are not even valid or coherent. That's the clue. Ironically, it is she who has reduced her son's death to meaninglessnes. It is she who has minimized & mocked his service to country. I am quite sure he would be the first one to tell her to stifle it. But she will never see what she is doing to his memory. To her, his death is everyones fault except the terrorist who exploded the bomb killing him. She's a sad & pathetic case.
Naturally, the lib-nut groups will use her to further their agenda, rather then tell her, " thanks, but no thanks - mourn in private."
And naturally, the media gets to hype it up for ratings & to replace the never ending saga of Aruba.
ahhhhhhhh.....Feels like the Terri Schiavo case. Schiavos case was hyped by the Right and now Sheehan's plight is hyped by the media....wait. Where's the DEMS? Maybe they don't have to take credit for this?? Bush is in enough trouble, why should they compound it.
Okay - that's it. Cindy Sheehan has just made some outrageous statements: "You get America out of Iraq and Israel out of Palestine and you'll stop the terrorism." "And now I'm going to use another 'I' word - impeachment (Bush,etc)- because we cannot have these people pardoned," she complained. "They need to be tried on war crimes and go to jail." Sheehan blasted the U.S. government, saying that without the Internet, "we would already be a fascist state."
Sheehan can go to hell. She's lost any sympathy I had for her. She is a disgrace to her dead son & family. She's a typical wacko lib & a complete idiot who doesn't know what the hell she's talking about. She is a fool who mocks her son's death with her outrageous claims. Her son was probably happy to be so far away from her in Iraq. She has put herself into the role of a public clown. And a stooge for the lib-nuts. Her son did something noble while she, with her mindless guttoral moaning & wailing, is doing something ignominious. She neither has the grace, aplomb or dignity to keep her travails to herself. The hag is now using her dead son to advance her agenda. She cares little anymore about what he died for. It now comes down to publicity & a pulpit for her inane blatherings. She can go pound sand where the sun don't shine. To have this as a mother is a frightening thought. She is not mourning - she is mouthing off. There is a difference.
And right there, ladies and gentleman, within Francis Lynn's remarks, is why this country is going to hell. Not becausem of the desperation voiced by the people out of power, but because of the hatred espoused by the ones, IN power, and their dupes. FL, you are a pathetic winner.
Wait a minute...
Don't we have an ALL VOLUNTEER army? (For a few more months until the democrats can get the idea of a draft to catch on? Don't think that I haven't heard the rumblings, and don't think that I don't know which side they are coming from...)
Her son wasn't drafted or anything, was he?
Am I then to assume that he may have willingly signed a contract that said that he would go and fight if called upon?
When asked what she thought her dead son would have thought about all of her shenanigans, she replied "Well, I haven't really thought about that..."
No shiznit, Sherzlock!!
I would be interested to know what her son would think of her right now myself.
And ER, I love and respect you, but after all of the weeping and wailing your side did about republicans politicizing the war and 9/11 during the elections, I don't want to hear it.
If you are looking for hatred in politics, I think that your side has more than enough to go around.
(Carter, Durbin, Biden, Kennedy, Reid, Boxer, Finestein, Rather, Jennings, Courick, Pelosi etc, etc, etc...)
It's not "desperation" that drives the "people out of power", but their own vitriolic hatred of Bush & co. The pathetic likes of Sheehan's rants are an example. If I choose to paint her in an unfavorable light, it is not with hate -it is with disgust. Of course, maybe to you her rants sound reasonable. Sheehan & her cohorts are pathetic losers.
somewhat unrelated points:
anonymous: Sheila, is that you again?
Franklin: what the hell is that thing in your eye?
And as to the thing at hand: cows comin' home, boys. It's over.
In respect to the son, I'll refrain from trashing the mom, for the moment.
Poor Richard. He can recognize a name, but can't recognize what is obviously a worm waiting for the early bird.
I agree with Bush's armed neighbor!
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