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Cindy Sheehan Takes on the Democrats, Hillary Clinton

by Open-Publishing - Wednesday 21 September 2005
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Edito Movement Wars and conflicts Governments USA

Cindy Sheehan Takes on the Democrats, Hillary Clinton
The anti-war activist has plenty to say-and it’s not all about Bush

by Kristen Lombardi

Cindy Sheehan, the rising star of the anti-war movement, remembers when people used to think of her as one of those crazy activists, speaking out for a cause, inconveniencing all who stumbled onto her path. She remembers, from her days camped outside President Bush’s ranch in Texas, how some drivers would shout out at her, “Get a job!”

Her response was always the same. “I’d say to them, ‘I have a job,’ ” Sheehan explained Monday night at the last of her New York events, at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. “I’d say, ‘It’s a full-time job, and it’s to hold George Bush accountable.’ ” With that, the 1200-strong crowd of peace activists, war veterans, ministers, and high-school students went wild.

Sheehan, the mother of an American soldier killed in Iraq, has become the persistent thorn in George Bush’s side and, in the process, an icon for Americans angry with the way the president and his administration is handling the war. Monday night, she drew out the anti-war sentiment in New York, making her last stop in well-publicized three-bus Bring Them Home Now Tour launched from Crawford, Texas, on August 31. The tour has traveled to 51 cities in 28 states.

Audience members packed into the cavernous hall wearing T-shirts with block letters, that read: I SUPPORT CINDY SHEEHAN. BRING OUR TROOPS HOME. Others donned baseball hats, VETERANS FOR PEACE, or carried makeshift signs, CINDY, YES. BUSH, NO. They waited to hear the celebrity guest for an hour, listening to emotional stories of other military families. The message? Don’t keep our troops fighting a war based on lies. Instead, get on the bus and protest in Washington, D.C., the site of a three-day anti-war rally this weekend.

When Sheehan assumed center stage, she kept her focus on Bush, calling him “a liar” whose “reckless, callous, and moronic policies have made our country vulnerable.” Bush, she said, had proven himself a coward who cares little about the troops in Iraq.

“I hate to be harsh,” she said, “but we’re not accepting any excuses for not bringing our troops home.”

But Sheehan isn’t stopping her critique with Bush. On the contrary, she has begun to set her sights on Congress and the Democratic Party as well. When she spoke in Brooklyn on the night before, she took note of the fact that Senator Hillary Clinton voted to authorize Bush to use force in Iraq and- like most Senate Democrats-has done little to bring the troops home. Clinton, in fact, has filed legislation calling for more troops.

In an interview after her speech, Sheehan told the Voice she was “so frustrated” by leading Democrats like Clinton “who should be leaders on this issue, but are not.” Already, she has set up a future meeting with New York’s junior senator this weekend. And she plans to sit down with the state’s senior senator, Chuck Schumer, too. “It’s time for them to step up and be the opposition party,” she said. “This war is not going to end unless the Democrats are on board with us.”

Local anti-war activists agree, and are busy strategizing on how to kick up the pressure. “There is a real push to put members of Congress on the hot seat,” says Bill Dobbs, of the New York City chapter of United for Peace and Justice. “It’s one thing to put the blame on Bush for this whole mess, but it’s Congress who has the power to stop it. We’ve got to make them pay a price for keeping this war going.”

© 2005 Village Voice

Forum posts

  • Cindy should be able to see by now, that the Democrats and Republicans are anything more than faithful factions of a single party, dedicated to the interests of the oil industry and arms contractor lobbies and to the establishment of the U.S. as a global empire.

    • This solidarity with the "troops" not questioning why the war was started makes me sick. Clinton is no exception to the fact that you can’t critisize military actions, because that means you don’t support the troops. Catch 22!

    • The "troops" did not initiate this war-politicians did. So yes, supporting them is getting them out a situation when their purpose is being misused-such as they are in IRAQ!

      Support our troops, bring them home now!

    • I respect cindy and her adventure. but you have to realize that this country is run by corporate power and not by the citizenry. They are the ants, and we the people are the aphids. sad but true. afterall, hasn’t it been like this since time immemorial? hopefully, 50 years or so down the line a new conciousness will permeate in human brains where all people will realize that we are all ONE! and act accordingly. I can wish, right???

  • Is there any difference today between dems and the GOP?

    • Yes there is, it’s the way they spell their party names.

    • The GOP and the Dems are one in the same, all after power and wealth. Every 2 to 4 years they put on a ’so-called" Campaign to give the impression that there is actually Democracy in the U.S.. It is one big "Reality Show" All the media benefit as they make millions in advertising revenues and revenues.
      After the last Election my eyes were opened. I saw a fraudulent result (Ted Kennedy had been on TV around 7 p.m. just about declaring victory for Kerry), and I saw not one Dem(except Barbara Boxer) even hinting at the "fixed" results. This proved the Dems are accomplices in the Criminal election process. I promptly went and changed my voting status from Dem. to unenrolled, and will either not vote again or vote Green Party (who are still litigating the Ohio vote count).
      Hiliary has stood in Iraq recently and talked about the progress there. Bill has also not been very critical of W. and has kissed up to him. They are almost as bad as W. (but they are trying to play the good guy role).
      I urge you all to look to Independent party candidates. Although not much matters as the vote is owned and these guys win either way! They do not need to be accountable to anyone as the vote is owned. They can screw the middle class and poor, without even a second thought as the vote is owned!
      They and only they will determine which supposed Party’s turn it willbe to win the next Election, unless we the people protest for Fair Elections!!!!!

    • It is time for Americans to take back their country. In the 2006 primaries, everyone should register as a Republican just to have the satisfaction of voting against the Republican incumbents, then in the general they should vote democrat and vote against all incumbents or vote independent....the independents should win....we need to get rid of the rep/dem pestilence. The people of this country can no longer afford either party, they are dragging us all down and ruining our counrty.

      Come on people lets work together to get rid of the government that no longer represents us or our interests, or the interests of the planet. They all have to go Bushco, Hillary, the whole lot including the supreme court...which should all be eliminated by whatever means is the fastest.

    • REP should kill all Dems, in an all out war.