Friday, August 12, 2005

Sheehan

You probably have heard of Cindy Sheehan, the woman who is camped outside of President Bush's ranch demanding a meeting with him. There's a lot of controversy about her, about her supposed switching of views, and about whether or not President Bush should meet with her. My take:

She can have any views she wants and she can associate with any group she wants - and at the same time, people can look at the groups she associates with and judge them and her. Same as for the other side.

Her supposed switching of views - she didn't. She's always been anti-war, she's always been against Bush's handling of the war. She didn't change her mind - Drudge creatively cut and pasted. Editor and Publisher points this out, along with a link to the original article Drudge hacked and slashed. Here's the specific quotes

Drudge:

"'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."


Actual story:

"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.
While meeting with Bush, as well as Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, was an honor, it was almost a tangent benefit of the trip. The Sheehans said they enjoyed meeting the other families of fallen soldiers, sharing stories, contact information, grief and support.
For some, grief was still visceral and raw, while for others it had melted into the background of their lives, the pain as common as breathing. Cindy said she saw her reflection in the troubled eyes of each.
"It's hard to lose a son," she said. "But we (all) lost a son in the Iraqi war."
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.

Drudge omitted the parts of the article that imply Mrs. Sheehan was speaking of meeting with other
families, not the President. This was a conscious omission. The way he phrased it, at first she said Bush had given her happiness and now condemns him. At the very least, the article doesn't state it that plainly. Drudge SHOULD be ashamed, but yeah right.

In that same spirit, Michelle Malkin and Bill O'Reilly should both apologize for stating that her story didn't add up. It does indeed, when you actually read the original story instead of some person's view of how that story should have been. They are free to criticize what she says, they are free to call her whatever they want to, they're even free (as Michelle Malkin has done) to say that her dead son wouldn't want her to behave that way (although she should definitely be ready for a major backlash that has nothing to do with her feminine attributes). However, they were wrong when they said her story didn't add up.

Should President Bush see her? Personally, I'd say no. Sorry, but publicity doesn't, or shouldn't, equal access. I don't see the need to go out and meet with a person calling me names and saying I'm a killer. She can SAY it all she wants, but that doesn't mean Bush has to respond to it. In the same fashion, Clinton certainly didn't have to meet with all the people who accused him of, well, everything. I don't fault Bush for not meeting with her.

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