Over the last two years, I've heard many radio interviews with the parents of those killed in Iraq. Their message is clear. Our son died in a noble cause and we are very proud of him.
In fact, there is very strong support for this war in the armed forces. They are positive about the mission. Read their blogs. They are the ones face to face with the Iraqi people everyday.
Cindy Sheehan spoke very well about Pres. Bush when he met with her over a year ago. (http://www.opinionjournal.com/best/?id=110007102)
According to her hometown paper, the Reporter of Vacaville, Calif., she was pleased with the meeting:
"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." . . .
"That was the gift the president gave us, the gift of happiness, of being together," Cindy said."
Somehow, she is saying something different now.
Cindy is now at war with Bush, most military moms and her family as well.
Drudge published a letter from the Sheehan family. This is the letter:
"The Sheehan Family lost our beloved Casey in the Iraq War and we have been silently, respectfully grieving. 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 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. Sincerely, Casey Sheehan's grandparents, aunts, uncles and numerous cousins."
This is Cindy's reply:
"They can't ignore us, and they can't put us down. Thank God for the Internet, or we wouldn't know anything, and we would already be a fascist state."
"Our government is run by one party, every level and the mainstream media is a propaganda tool for the government."
A fascist state? One party state? Has Cindy forgotten that we've had elections since 1788.
This is what a fascist state would have done.
First, it would have sent Cindy's son to war without his consent. Casey would have been forced to join the army rather than volunteer, as he actually did.
Second, a fascist state locks up critics or rapes their teenage daughters. This is what happened to the parents in Iraq when they criticized Saddam for using chemical weapons twice.
Why did we think that Saddam Hussein had chemical weapons? He used them twice!
Last but not least, a fascist state media would have ignored Cindy. Do you think that Granma, the official Cuban newspaper, spends time covering dissidents?
Cindy is obviously not aware of how a real fascist state works. She should spend some time in North Korea, Cuba or Iran.
What's going on?
We have a grieving mother who is being used by people with an agenda.
Who are these people hanging around Cindy and using her?
The New York Sun had a very good editorial today about this: (http://www.nysun.com/article/18436)
"For starters, Ms. Sheehan has been posting on Michael Moore's Web site, writing, "We have such a strong coalition of groups. GSFP, Code Pink, Veterans for Peace, Military Families Speak Out and the Crawford Peace House.
It turns out that the Crawford Peace House Web site includes a photo depicting the entire state of Israel as "Palestine," and it carries a link to a report that when Prime Minister Sharon visited Crawford, the "peace house" greeted him with an "800-foot-long banner containing all of the United Nations resolutions that Israel is in violation of."
The Crawford Peace House site also features a photo of Eugene Bird, who has suggested that Israeli intelligence was responsible for the abuses at Abu Ghraib.
Code Pink, Veterans for Peace, and Military Families Speak Out all have representatives on the steering committee of United for Peace and Justice, an anti-war umbrella group.
They share that distinction with the Communist Party USA.
UPJ organized the march during the 2004 Republican Convention in New York, at which a New York Sun poll of 253 of the protesters found that fully 67% of those surveyed said they agreed with the statement "Iraqi attacks on American troops occupying Iraq are legitimate resistance."
In other words, Ms. Sheehan's "coalition" includes a lot of people who think the persons who killed her son were justified.
United for Peace is nonetheless flogging Ms. Sheehan's story in the run-up to its big weekend of "civil disobedience" and "direct action" next month in Washington.
That protest is timed to coincide with the meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, so that the people who were throwing rocks at Starbucks in Seattle to protest free trade back during the Clinton administration can now make common cause with the anti-war movement."
I understand Cindy Sheehan's pain. She is entitled to her opinion.
Sadly, Cindy's new allies are the same ones who hate the military. They are the same people who had no respect for her son. Why? Because her son chose to wear the military uniform.
Is Cindy aware of this?
She claims that Pres. Bush killed her son.
Under this logic, then Pres. Clinton killed the 17 sailors who were aboard the USS Cole or the dozen soldiers dragged in Somalia.
I guess Pres. Truman is also responsible for the 10,000 US soldiers who died in Okinawa or Pres. Lincoln is to blame for the loss of 600,000 during the Civil War.
Her son was killed by Iraqi terrorists and not Pres. Bush.
Of course, Sheehan has been singing the predictable collection of anti-Bushims.
One of them is to attack Bill O'Reilly. What did O'Reilly do? He simply pointed out that Sheehan was hanging around with the Michael Moore crowd. (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,165401,00.html)
Sad very sad. What else can you expect?
The people who brought you the Roberts ad are now running Cindy Sheehan's life.
The bad news is that the anti-war left is using Cindy Sheehan.
The good news is that it won't work.
It is true that Pres. Bush's polls have dropped. But the Democrats have not benefited.
Don't take my word for any of this. Read what Democrat pollsters are telling Democrat candidates.
Dan Balz just wrote "For Democrats, a Troubling Culture Gap" (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/09/AR2005080901334.html):
"...the new Democracy Corps study concludes that cultural issues trump economic issues by a wide margin for many of these voters -- giving the GOP a significant electoral advantage.
The good news for Democrats:
All the groups expressed dissatisfaction with the direction of the country and with the leadership of the president and the GOP-controlled Congress.
Then came the bad news:
"As powerful as the concern over these issues is, the introduction of cultural themes -- specifically gay marriage, abortion, the importance of the traditional family unit and the role of religion in public life -- quickly renders them almost irrelevant in terms of electoral politics at the national level," the study said.
Many of these voters still favor Democrats on economic issues. But they see the Democrats as weak on national security, and on cultural and moral issues, they view Democrats as both inconsistent and hostile to traditional values.
"Most referred to Democrats as 'liberal' on issues of morality, but some even go so far as to label them 'immoral,' 'morally bankrupt,' or even 'anti-religious,' " according to the Democracy Corps analysis."
Let me give you a quick translation.
John & Jane USA living in an American suburb see the Democrats as anti-family, anti-religion and weak on national security. They may be anxious about Iraq, concerned about gas prices and feeling insecure about economic globalization. However, they are not planning to vote Democrat anytime soon.
Hang in Pres. Bush. You are doing the right thing in Iraq and the overwhelming majority of military parents agree with you.
P.S. My message to Cindy Seehan is this. Go back home and promote Casey's legacy by reminding everyone that he died in a noble cause. The US military has liberated millions, from the French in WW2 to the Iraqis. The US military is a wonderful organization that closes rape rooms and gives millions the opportunity to vote.
Casey's legacy is two fold: the millions who voted in January and the constitution underway in Iraq.
That's a wonderful legacy.
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