Drudge reports:
The mother of a fallen U.S. soldier who is holding a roadside peace vigil near President Bush's ranch -- has dramatically changed her account about what happened when she met the commander-in-chief last summer!
Cindy Sheehan, 48, of Vacaville, Calif., who last year praised Bush for bringing her family the "gift of happiness," took to the nation's TV outlets this weekend to declare how Bush "killed an indispensable part of our family and humanity."
CINDY 2004
THE REPORTER of Vacaville, CA published an account of Cindy Sheehan's visit with the president at Fort Lewis near Seattle on June 24, 2004:
"'I now know he's sincere about wanting freedom for the Iraqis,' Cindy said after their meeting. 'I know he's sorry and feels some pain for our loss. And I know he's a man of faith.'
"The meeting didn't last long, but in their time with Bush, Cindy spoke about Casey and asked the president to make her son's sacrifice count for something. They also spoke of their faith.
"The trip had one benefit that none of the Sheehans expected.
"For a moment, life returned to the way it was before Casey died. They laughed, joked and bickered playfully as they briefly toured Seattle.
For the first time in 11 weeks, they felt whole again.
"'That was the gift the president gave us, the gift of happiness, of being together,' Cindy said."
CINDY 2005
Sheehan's current comments are a striking departure.
She vowed on Sunday to continue her protest until she can personally ask Bush: "Why did you kill my son?"
In an interview on CNN, she claimed Bush "acted like it was party" when she met him last year.
"It was -- you know, there was a lot of things said. We wanted to use the time for him to know that he killed an indispensable part of our family and humanity. And we wanted him to look at the pictures of Casey.
"He wouldn't look at the pictures of Casey. He didn't even know Casey's name. He came in the room and the very first thing he said is, 'So who are we honoring here?' He didn't even know Casey's name. He didn't want to hear it. He didn't want to hear anything about Casey. He wouldn't even call him 'him' or 'he.' He called him 'your loved one.'
Every time we tried to talk about Casey and how much we missed him, he would change the subject. And he acted like it was a party.
BLITZER: Like a party? I mean...
SHEEHAN: Yes, he came in very jovial, and like we should be happy that he, our son, died for his misguided policies. He didn't even pretend like somebody...
Again, I'm uncomfortable criticizing a grieving mother. Just the thought of the pain of losing a child terrifies me.
She has my heartfelt sympathy.
The issue:
Taking these latest revelations into account, does she get a pass for behavior?
No doubt, Sheehan will say that she was still in shock at the time she met President Bush.
No doubt, she probably was lost in her grief.
Nonetheless, her crusade can't help but take on a different appearance with the juxtapositioning of her words from 2004 and what she's saying in 2005.
Anti-Bush forces and anti-war forces will call Drudge's account an attempt to smear Sheehan.
Can you hear them?
"How dare anyone be critical of a mother whose son was killed in the war?"
Just because her son died does not mean she shouldn't be held accountable for her actions. All of us are responsible for our behavior, whatever our circumstances.
For some reason, it's clear that she flip-flopped.
President Bush, the man who gave her family a "gift" in 2004 is the same man she is blaming for being personally responsible for killing her son.
That's not a smear. That's not an attack on her. That's just the facts.
The 2005 Sheehan was all over the media this weekend and, naturally, is still getting attention today.
That Cindy Sheehan is unrecognizable from the 2004 Sheehan.
She had a change of heart. OK.
We need perspective here, something that is sadly lacking in the coverage of Sheehan's protest.
I would like to see the media give the same amount of attention to the hundreds and hundreds of grieving parents who lost children in the war and believe their kids died for a noble cause. Their pain deserves to be noticed as well.
Why don't they give some time to the parents that support the mission?
Why don't they let their voices be heard?
Why don't they honor those families and their fallen loved ones by telling their stories?
It's obvious.
Monday, August 8, 2005
A Change of Heart
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
On my way home from work, I caught a bit of Hugh Hewitt, and Mark Taylor was guest-hosting. He mentioned that Sheehan is with an anti-war group, Code Pink, and I wonder if between last year and this, her grief over her loss has caused her to be influenced by the poisonous lies and distortions of the Bush-haters. From what I heard, her son's father says his son very much loved the army and believed in what he did. Mark Taylor had on another fallen soldier's mom, who honors her son by respecting her son's belief in this President and in this mission.
It would appear that Ms. Sheehan has been influenced by the anti-Bush crowd. This is not unusual. There are many people who allow themselves to be talked into things that they had previously not believed. My ex wife had a habit of believing everything anyone except me told her.
I heard Mark Levin tonight talking about this.
He was saying that Sheehan is being exploited by the lib media.
I think that's true.
I don't remember the man's name, but Mark was talking to the father of a fallen marine.
This man was saying how much his son believed in his mission and loved what he was doing.
Of course, this man and so many others like him haven't gotten anywhere near the media attention that Sheehan has received.
I don't know. She seems very, very troubled.
It's one thing to disagree with policy and to protest. It's quite another to say that Bush killed her son. She absolutely hates him. That sort of emotion is probably hurting her more than healing her.
Post a Comment