I wonder if you actually believe youself sometimes. Do you have the capacity to proffer an honest argument and just choose not to out of boredom, or are you really that much of a lying, cowardly hypocrite? This is not Michael Moore tricking Heston. This is a American middle-class woman who lost her son for no good fucking reason. And you know what. She wants to make a point and she is able to make that point because Americans are slowly but surely realizing that the bullshit you spew really does stink. It is a lie. It is self-serving. And it is an enormous debacle with no forseseeable end in sight. All you can offer is disgust and bile under the guise of your macho hysteics, as you have not been asked to make a solitary sacrifice for the very noble war you adore so much.

Her fucking problem is that she's been lied to and her fucking son is dead and all you can come up with is smug "bitch slaps" from Jaws to mock her, calling it emotional drivel. And she's hpoing to draw attention to what the public has been ignoring or failing to deal with for the time span that has been Bush's presidency. And it scares the piss out of you because she isn't Michael Moore and she isn't Al Franken. And the President is still too dense to realize that this is all happening on his 5 week vacation. Well get used to it because she is middle America. Bush country isn't as large as you pretent it to be.

You have no problem whatever with the continued emotional drivel expolited by the president during the election. His invocation of 9/11 was disgusting, especially to people who were there, and especially to people who had idiot chicken hawks telling them what their appropriate response should be to an attack on their home. You have no problem with the invoking of emotional drivel when it serves the purpose of lying about your war, because really, what else is there to factually support it? Who else is there to smear? Who else's patriotism is left to call into question?

The fact that you pretend Bush has a fucking mandate to go full speed ahead with this debacle because of an election a year ago is gloriously stupid and arrogant even for you. Middle America is telling you the exact fucking opposite no matter what you think of a woman with a dead son. But please please please keep it up, and encourage your party to do the same.

Given all the comparisons of this woman to Michael Moore, it's good to see stockula take it to the logical conclusion and compare George Bush to an Alzheimer's-affected Chuck Heston.

There's something in that for all of us.

I guess that's a good point. I didn't think about it that way.

This woman is far from middle america. All she has to do to prove it is keep talking. As far as there being "no good fucking reason", isn't that a little objective. I know several people who voluntiered think there is very good reason.

As Dead_Ringer said she is trying to make a point, but then to trash out anyone who dissagrees with that point. I mean if she is a greaving mother thats one thing, a political activist thats another. If that is what she is (a political activist) then there has to be freedom for give and take as part of the process. Pulling out the dead son as a trump card in every discusion is hard to understand.

Really tho, to pretend this woman is middle America isn't going to fly to middle America. New York and LA may eat that up, but not middle America. Her oppinions are extreem and more than a little hate filled. I also think her choice in friends (close friend and speaking partner her"Aticus Finch" an decribed by Sheehan)would alienate many.

[Edited on Aug 19, 2005 by bones_708]

I'm sure Alzheimer's patients across the world are pissed now that they've been compared to dubya.

is houston middle america?

I guess it would depend on your definition.

I thought I would post the story Sheehan's local paper ran about her meeting with Bush.

Here

Why is Cindy's son her leverage in every discussion? Her dead son is her purpose for standing in Crawford, sacrificing herself to this public scrutiny, and opting to gamble her marriage to make a pt.

It's really easy. All Bush has to do is talk to her, and he could even give her an option of a discussion with no cameras or nothing at all. Is she milking the media? I think the question is does the media CHOSE to run this story everyday for half the day, because they know it's about controversy? Yes and it feeds the spin machine. Bush knows the country is divided despite his loss in approval ratings, and he knows the media is an advantage for him, because it twist both ways (keeping people on sides).

I mean, she's not letting the ACLU and other groups run a sideshow for her; she has turned them down when offered assistance. She said that she is aware of her 15mins of fame.... how else is she going to get her pt. across? Is televised news going to give you the truth from the "Situation Room" or "The O'Reilly Factor" or "Nancy Grace" or " MSNBC Connected"? It's a joke.... I think seeing her on the side of the road and putting the TV on mute is the smallest way to visually funnel some truth to your home.

How can anyone critize this woman more than the President on this issue? I don't understand it.

Whether your for or against the war, she has a right (by whatever means) to get the answers she needs. A lot of americans want to hear the answer as well.... and don't have the guts to stand out there everyday for answers. I think we all know that Bush will formulate BULLSHIT in the form of well ....BULLSHIT, when and if he chooses to answer. So I doubt anyone will be surprised, if that time comes.

I remember watching Fog of War and comparing it to Bush and Rumsfeld, etc... and you would think that with all the mistakes, scenarios, and aftermaths surrounding war that we could've prepared much better for this.

Damn I hate politics

]

[Edited on Aug 19, 2005 by gambitnuitamment]

Well, why should Bush sit down with her? I mean, he already knows everything she's going to ask. If you and I know, you can be sure he knows. How are her questions any different from the mother in Kansas or the father in Oregon who feel the same way as Sheehan but aren't as vociferous? What answers would he give? Would Sheehan or anybody else be satisfied with what he said? Or will everybody call it bullshit? Sitting down with Sheehan would be lose-lose for the president. No matter what politcally-correct sympathetic faithfully dogmatic answer he could come up with, or even the truth, people would call him out. "He died fighting for freedom." Left America: BULLSHIT! "He died protecting Israel and our oil interest." Any American: well, pure outrage. So, Bush deflects her. Left America cries deception, right America cries hero, middle America doesn't even fucking care. The president--or at least his advisors--aren't completelly stupid. Bush would lose much more out of any doctored up answer or confession than he does by going for a jog. Bush probably gets hundreds or maybe even thousands of letters and whatnot everyday from people asking the same thing Sheehan wants to know. He probably just see's her as another letter. She'll flicker and die out soon. You can be sure he's counting on that.

Okay then, let's try to answer this question. Do you know what her son died for. Is that cause so important that you would sacrifice your child to it?

This perspective seems to be dependent on an understanding that the president should remain aloof from the rabbel. Why does the president have something to "lose" by meeting with a citizen?

Don't get it.

Erm, yeah, please ignore my post. I've had a very long day at work and have been drinking.

Politics and alcohol.

Of course everyone knows the questions, but what are the answers? That's the point in asking. More than likely, the answers will be BS, so people still won't be satisfied with the answers.

Most people talk about the woman as if they know her or what she's thinking. And we don't, none of us do. I can understand a person doing what she's doing, for the right reasons, but she may not be doing for those reasons.