Cindy Sheehan is still on tour and still writing, but she has been overshadowed by the disaster on the Gulf Coast. And for that, I’m thankful. I was very supportive of her encampment in Crawford and I’m grateful to her for getting people to finally join a peace movement in this country. That said, I’ll be more grateful when she is almost completely off the political stage. Her letters are hosted on the web by Michael Moore’s site and she has gone the way of Michael Moore. Which is to say that what began as a good idea, a powerful movement, and a reasonable program has devolved into bitter foolishness.
In her latest letter, linked above, Sheehan’s prose is that of a high school student ranting about ending the war the way students write about legalizing pot or lowering the drinking age. All three are reasonable ideas, but most high school students argue the points poorly and often fall into the trap of whining and making themselves foolish. Reading their words, I’m left unsympathetic to their cause and often dismissive of their opinions.
In Crawford, Cindy Sheehan’s protest was the best thing that could have happened for Democrats and all those opposed to the war. On the road, writing frothing rants, she is the second best thing Republicans could ask for. (The first is Jane Fonda in a bus powered by vegetable oil.) Like Moore, Sheehan has gone past being useful. I sympathize with her pain and her anger. In Crawford, the story was her pain and her simple plea to question our President. Late in that stay and on the road now, it’s all about her anger. I’m not buying it.
Goodbye, Cindy. If you can get past spleen venting, stay on the bus and keep going. If not, go home. That behavior won’t get us anywhere.
