Cindy Sheehan Leaves the Peace Movement

By Jeralyn, Section War In Iraq
Posted on Tue May 29, 2007 at 01:17:00 AM EST
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All good things come to an end. Cindy Sheehan has tendered her resignation letter.

While I appreciate her service, I have thought for a while she needs to get her life back. As the mother of a son who would be of draft age if there was a draft, I can't imagine the devastation that she and the other mothers of the 3,500 soldiers killed in Iraq endure on a daily basis.

Cindy channeled her grief into a public cause to end the war that a majority of Americans now believe we should exit from. She deserves a lot of credit.

But she also deserves a life. I'm sure her son would want her to have one. The war is not going to end by demonstrations near Bush's ranch at Crawford, Texas, nor by Cindy continuing to be arrested at peace marches. Those days are over.

More...

The war will end when our elected officials in Congress realize they cannot get re-elected if they continue to support this war. We need a different kind of battle. The issue of the war has been taken to the American people, and the last November elections show they don't support it. We now need to monitor Congress, and those who vote to support the funding and oppose an exit timetable. We need to hold their feet to the fire.

Thank you Cindy, for all you have done, and we'll take it from here. You've earned your place in history and Casey would be proud.

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Cindy Sheehan Leaves the Peace Movement | 16 comments (16 topical)

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in the middle (5.00 / 2) (#6)
by desertwind on Tue May 29, 2007 at 12:57:57 AM EST

The decline in support for the war and for Bush started in August/September 2005. It seems to me this was pushed by 3 events that happened in quick succession: 14 Ohio Marine reservists killed in a single incident in Iraq; Cindy camping in Crawford; and Hurricane Katrina.

I think she made a difference.

God bless her and keep her safe.

Another view (5.00 / 3) (#7)
by LarryE on Tue May 29, 2007 at 01:16:59 AM EST

In January, Cindy Sheehan and a group of fellow protesters disrupted a Rahm Emanuel press conference with signs and chants calling for an end to the Iraq War. In response, various left bloggers and commenters called her "stupid, unthinking and politically naive" for staging a "circus." She was "a fool" who was "against everyone but her own rabid fans" and whose "pompous spectacle," backed by her "yappy, worshipping, poodle cult," was an "inept outburst" marked by "self-important impatience" and "shrill posturing." She was told to "shut up" and to "put a sock in it."

My first reaction was to say just who the flaming hell do you people think you are? Who among you has done a fraction of what Cindy Sheehan has, committed a fraction of the time or energy, either physical or emotional, to stopping this madness? What is she, just a tool, a convenience, to be discarded now that you've got what you want? "Hey, Democrats won the election. So shut up."
And then my second reaction set in: Yes, that's exactly what she is to you. Just a living press release, just another campaign commercial, a campaign that for you is now ended. For you, for way too many among us, including way too many of the so-called "liberal" or "progressive" bloggers, support for Cindy Sheehan or any other protesters was never actually about the war. It was about electing Democrats.

I did not find her farewell "less than gracious," I found it spot on. And I did not find it bitter, rather I found it an expression of pain born of a legitimate sense of betrayal by people she thought were friends and supporters.

But I expect that after a rest she will be back. Likely in a quiet way, not out front, maybe even just on local matters, but she'll be back. Because, as happened to some of us during Vietnam, the war has radicalized her. And from that, there is no turning back.

Go in peace, Cindy, with gratitude (and admiration) for the stamina you showed.

Cindy did many admirable things (2.33 / 3) (#1)
by Big Tent Democrat on Mon May 28, 2007 at 11:35:25 PM EST

but she seemed to want to be immune from critique.

Of course the mother of a fallen soldier is to be empathized. But she chose to be more.

I think that she held an unrealistic view of what happens to public figures.

I wish her the best, but must say, as a parting critique, her farewell is not particularly gracious.

Why would she be gracious? (4.00 / 1) (#2)
by Jeralyn on Mon May 28, 2007 at 11:42:23 PM EST

She tried to make her son's death into a greater cause. That only works for a while. In a sense, she became like Natalee Holloway's mother and Chandra Levy's mother. We pity them, but in the end, they are another grieving mother that we prefer to not to have to acknowledge on a daily basis.

It's too bad that hundreds of mothers of soldiers killed in Iraq didn't take to the airwaves to protest the war. If it wasn't just Cindy, it might have made a difference. But if you saw "60 Minutes" last night, it's apparent that many of the mothers can only deal with the grief by saying "it's what he wanted to do."

I think she has a right to be bitter. But I doubt whether any one mother can truly make a difference. I also think it's the totality of the deaths, rather than any single one, that we should focus on.


Speaking for me (none / 0) (#3)
by Big Tent Democrat on Mon May 28, 2007 at 11:51:54 PM EST

I never felt this way:

We pity them, but in the end, they are another grieving mother that we prefer to not to have to acknowledge on a daily basis.

As for her being shuned because she attacked the Democratic Party, obviously, that would not be a problem with me. I questioned her efficacy after a certain time.

Trips to Cuba and for non-Iraq related causes, as well as other mistakes (imo of course), simply made her not very effective in the fight to end the war.


I think (none / 0) (#4)
by Jeralyn on Mon May 28, 2007 at 11:54:11 PM EST

we're saying the same thing. Except that you think her exit was less than gracious and while I agree it is somewhat bitter, I can understand that.


: Somewhat bitter? (none / 0) (#15)
by Gabriel Malor on Tue May 29, 2007 at 03:45:55 PM EST

Ms. Sheehan had this to say about the Iraq Supplemental vote:

"I've been wondering why I'm killing myself and wondering why the Democrats caved in to George Bush," Sheehan told The Associated Press by phone Tuesday while driving from her property in Crawford to the airport, where she planned to return to her native California.

She announced her departure from the Democratic Party a few days before stepping down as figurehead for the anti-war movement. That announcement was also made at the Daily Kos. She wrote:

Naively, I set off on my tireless campaign calling on Congress to rescind George's authority to wage his war of terror while asking him "for what noble cause" did Casey and thousands of other have to die. Now, with Democrats in control of Congress, I have lost my optimistic naiveté and have become cynically pessimistic as I see you all caving into as one Daily Kos poster called: "Mr. 28%"
...
I knew having a Democratic Congress would make no difference in grassroots action.
...
It used to be George Bush's war. You could have ended it honorably. Now it is yours and you all will descend into calumnious history with BushCo.
...
The Camp Casey Peace Institute is calling all citizens who are as disgusted as we are with you all to join us in Philadelphia on July 4th to try and figure a way out of this "two" party system that is bought and paid for by the war machine which has a stranglehold on every aspect of our lives. As for myself, I am leaving the Democratic Party. You have completely failed those who put you in power to change the direction our country is heading.
I'd say she's pretty bitter.

Memories (none / 0) (#8)
by LarryE on Tue May 29, 2007 at 01:29:28 AM EST

Trips to Cuba and for non-Iraq related causes ... made her not very effective in the fight to end the war

That sounds too much like the criticism of Martin Luther King when he came out against the Vietnam War, when it was said that he was being divisive and undermining his effectiveness in the civil rights movement, to sit right with me.

Of course, it could easily be argued that civil rights and Vietnam were related. It can equally be argued that Cuba, Venezuela, and Iraq are also related, joined under the heading "US foreign policy."

And by the way, please don't anybody nitpick at the lack of a precise equivalence between Sheehan and MLK. It's the overall thrust I'm addressing.


Anything can be easily argued (2.50 / 2) (#10)
by Big Tent Democrat on Tue May 29, 2007 at 06:31:47 AM EST

if you want to argue it.

But a realistic person knows that some of Sheehan's actions weakened her anti-war message. If you do not wish to concede the obvious, then by all means, don't.


: That's the BTD... (none / 0) (#16)
by LarryE on Wed May 30, 2007 at 01:57:06 AM EST

...we all know and love: By his lights, any "realistic person" will doubtless agree with him because whatever he says is "obviously" true.
But of course his assertion that Cindy Sheehan was "not very effective" as a war opponent is neither obvious nor true - and the implication that US policy in Iraq exists, and must be discussed, in isolation from the rest of US foreign policy is likewise neither obvious nor true.
As I said elsewhere, Cindy Sheehan, it appears, has been radicalized by the war. One of the results of such radicalization is the urge to look at the roots of the poison vine, not just individual leaves. More power to her.

What did you expect? (none / 0) (#5)
by squeaky on Mon May 28, 2007 at 11:57:07 PM EST

She is not a movie star. Sounded human and somewhat frail to me. Not sour grapes but making wine now that her mourning period is over. I think she used it well.

Did she accomplish anything? Yes, for herself and for others that she inspired. Is she a star, definately not. A star would have been more gracious.


Cindy deserves alot of credit for (none / 0) (#9)
by Chincoteague on Tue May 29, 2007 at 06:11:37 AM EST

being a vibrant anti-war activist, but I found that when she expanded her message, with her comments about Venezuela and her visit to Cuba, counterproductive.

I wish her well, but I won't particularly miss her.

et al (none / 0) (#11)
by jimakaPPJ on Tue May 29, 2007 at 09:03:22 AM EST

Mrs. Sheehan was used for a while and then dumped.

Remind you of anything else that happened recently??

She is/was not a piker.... (none / 0) (#12)
by kdog on Tue May 29, 2007 at 09:34:47 AM EST

and thats something at least in a country full of pikers.

Thanks Cindy... (none / 0) (#13)
by desertswine on Tue May 29, 2007 at 10:10:13 AM EST

you did a hell of a job and have my admiration.

She meant something (none / 0) (#14)
by Jen M on Tue May 29, 2007 at 02:28:20 PM EST

special to a lot of people.

I watched her talking earnestly with all the people in line in front of me. They got hugs from her. So did I.

Monday back at work I had to hug all the soldiers in our department. They wanted a piece of her hug.

I hope she find her own peace.