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  • WEDNESDAY AUGUST 17 2005 9:00 AM

Right Wing Press Sinks to New Low

Submitted by legionnaire

Edited by legionnaire

Cindy Sheehan, the grieving mother of a son lost in Iraq who has been keeping vigil in front of Bush's vacation ranch in an attempt to discover why, has become a target of the right wing media machine, complete with the distortions, outright lies and bile that it has become so well known for.

Conservative commentators and Web sites are taking aim at Sheehan with the same ferocity she has aimed at President Bush. In part, they are using her own words against her -- reciting such controversial comments as her vow to refuse to pay taxes to a government waging an "illegal" war and her desire to see Bush impeached.

[...]

"It's obvious Cindy Sheehan has become a political player, whose primary concern is embarrassing the president," Fox Television personality Bill O'Reilly wrote Tuesday in an online column. "She is no longer just a protester."


No, I think the president is doing a perfectly good job of that himself. Like his explanation of why he chose to go bike riding instead of speaking with her.

"I think it's important for me to be thoughtful and sensitive to those who have got something to say. But I think it's also important for me to go on with my life, to keep a balanced life ... I think the people want the president to be in a position to make good, crisp decisions and to stay healthy. And part of my being is to be outside exercising. So I'm mindful of what goes on around me. On the other hand, I'm also mindful that I've got a life to live and will do so.


So while the president continues his leisurely month long summer vacation, the earnest protesters baking in the sun in Crawford continue to be victimized by the conservative press.

Still, [Sheehan] said some of the statements attributed to her are distortions. Contrary to a letter attributed to her that is circulating widely on the Internet, she asserts that she has never said that the United States is waging the war in Iraq to protect Israel.

"I have said a lot of strong things, and I'll stand by everything I said," Sheehan said, adding that she thought the document had been altered. "But I didn't say that."

The scrutiny that has accompanied Sheehan's quick rise to prominence has extended to her family. Several in-laws have publicly criticized her protest -- announcing their displeasure in a release to the Drudge Report. News that Sheehan's husband, Patrick, has filed for divorce has been trumpeted by some bloggers as evidence of her extreme views.


What a surprise - being unable to find any fault in the message of a mother wanting to know why her son was killed thousands of miles from home, blowhards like Bill O'Reilly and Matt Drudge have found it appropriate to make questionable allegations and tear apart the private life of a woman who just wants an answer from her elected officials for why her son had to die. At this rate, the next issue of the Drudge report will likely be "Mother Teresa: Just a Flimsy Liberal or Communist Stooge?"

 

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Comments
dAHMER

dahmer

South Vienna, OH
OLD SKOOL

AUG 17, 2005 09:18 AM

Well of course O'Reilly and Drudge will tear her apart. She should have 100% faith in our government, and she is obviously an insane, homo lovin', baby killing, bleeing heart liberal if she feels other wise.

/sarcasm

[Edited on Aug 17, 2005 12:18PM]

robosagogo

robosagogo

State College, PA
September 2004

AUG 17, 2005 09:21 AM

Who didn't think this would happen?

robosagogo

robosagogo

State College, PA
September 2004

AUG 17, 2005 09:21 AM

Who didn't think this would happen?

LoadedDiceInc

LoadedDiceInc

Dover, NH
April 2005

AUG 17, 2005 09:44 AM

You have the right to free speech.... as long as your not dumb enough to actually try it. Joe Strummer : Know your rights!

alpha_hazard

alpha_hazard

Fort Collins, CO
April 2004

AUG 17, 2005 09:46 AM

some people will never recognize true sacrifice for ones most heartfelt feelings. Of course she's become a political player, but she's not just some other hippy liberal knitting a quilt, she's going straight to the source and holding our leader accountable like any good american should, maybe O'Reilly should recognize THAT instead of calling her out on her husband's lack of sac.

_kungfoo_

_kungfoo_

Los Angeles, CA
April 2005

AUG 17, 2005 09:49 AM

Well, she did bring some of this criticism on herself by hooking up with Michael Moore, who has ruined his own creditability and I consider just as big of a "distorter of facts" as Bush.

_kungfoo_

_kungfoo_

Los Angeles, CA
April 2005

AUG 17, 2005 09:50 AM

alpha_hazard said:
some people will never recognize true sacrifice for ones most heartfelt feelings. Of course she's become a political player, but she's not just some other hippy liberal knitting a quilt, she's going straight to the source and holding our leader accountable like any good american should, maybe O'Reilly should recognize THAT instead of calling her out on her husband's lack of sac.



I agree with that though, she does deserve credit for standing up for what she believes. A true American would.

rushlight

rushlight

Allen, TX
May 2004

AUG 17, 2005 09:50 AM

alpha_hazard said:
some people will never recognize true sacrifice for ones most heartfelt feelings. Of course she's become a political player, but she's not just some other hippy liberal knitting a quilt, she's going straight to the source and holding our leader accountable like any good american should, maybe O'Reilly should recognize THAT instead of calling her out on her husband's lack of sac.



Well put. Kudos.

jrave

jrave

Italy
January 2004

AUG 17, 2005 10:01 AM

i don't agree with her. she's protesting because her son was killed. ok, i can understand that. but if she has had such deep rooted feelings for the war, shouldn't she have been protesting it since the beginning? she's only out there because the war has touched her. if her son was still alive, she'd be an unknown. so why is she protesting now? did losing her son wake her up? the war's fucked up, i won't bother trying to defend it. but camping out in front of the president's home to "talk" to him about it, that's bullshit. if she wants to make a difference, she should be camping out in Iraq to talk to the leaders there to get their shit together so then us Americans can leave.

legionnaire

legionnaire

United Kingdom
November 2003

AUG 17, 2005 10:32 AM

KUNGFOO said:
Well, she did bring some of this criticism on herself by hooking up with Michael Moore, who has ruined his own creditability and I consider just as big of a "distorter of facts" as Bush.



Well, Moore has more latched on to her rather than the other way around. I agree that he tends to reduce the credibility of most of the people he associates with, but it doesn't appear to have been her choice to join up with him.

Subrosa

Subrosa

San Francisco, CA
July 2004

AUG 17, 2005 10:37 AM

jrave said:
i don't agree with her. she's protesting because her son was killed. ok, i can understand that. but if she has had such deep rooted feelings for the war, shouldn't she have been protesting it since the beginning? she's only out there because the war has touched her. if her son was still alive, she'd be an unknown. so why is she protesting now? did losing her son wake her up?



Gee. You think losing her son might have had a profound effect on the way she felt? It's only the most traumatic experience a parent can go through. I'm thinking that MAYBE... just maybe... if it happened to me it just MIGHT effect my world view.

JonnyJonnyH

JonnyJonnyH

Seattle, WA
June 2003

AUG 17, 2005 10:37 AM

I don't know much about this woman and her protest, but I do know that if Drudge and O'Reilly are pissed about you, then you must be doing something right.

FreakPirate

FreakPirate

Calgary, AB
November 2002

AUG 17, 2005 10:42 AM

jrave said:
i don't agree with her. she's protesting because her son was killed. ok, i can understand that. but if she has had such deep rooted feelings for the war, shouldn't she have been protesting it since the beginning? she's only out there because the war has touched her. if her son was still alive, she'd be an unknown. so why is she protesting now? did losing her son wake her up? the war's fucked up, i won't bother trying to defend it. but camping out in front of the president's home to "talk" to him about it, that's bullshit. if she wants to make a difference, she should be camping out in Iraq to talk to the leaders there to get their shit together so then us Americans can leave.



Of course... because no one can change their opinion on something or become more affected by it when it strikes them personally. whatever

legionnaire

legionnaire

United Kingdom
November 2003

AUG 17, 2005 10:51 AM

ankiel66 said:
I don't know much about this woman and her protest, but I do know that if Drudge and O'Reilly are pissed about you, then you must be doing something right.


Heh, I can't disagree with that. I'm adding that to my list of life goals.

hadees

hadees

Austin, TX
December 2003

AUG 17, 2005 10:52 AM

Her protest is pointless but she has every right to do it. I feel terrible for her that she lost her son but he joined the Military. No one force him to join. It really doesn't matter if you think we should have gone to war or not.

I personally think that the war was more of a good thing then a bad thing. I mean liberating a people from a crazy dictator and his sadist sons, i don't see how you can really go wrong (however some how Bush did, sort of)

That being said Bush is an idiot, ran a terrible war that wasn't thought out at all and is taking way too long a vacation. He the freaking president, if he wanted to have an easy job he should have managed a Denny's.

[Edited on Aug 17, 2005 by hadees]

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