So what do you make of Cindy Sheehan, the woman camping outside Crawford, Texas, in an attempt to see President Bush again? I'd be a lot more sympathetic to her pleas if not for her antipodal reaction after her first meeting with the President.
"I now know he's sincere about wanting freedom for the Iraqis," Cindy said after their meeting. "I know he's sorry and feels some pain for our loss. And I know he's a man of faith."The meeting didn't last long, but in their time with Bush, Cindy spoke about Casey and asked the president to make her son's sacrifice count for something. They also spoke of their faith. ...
The trip had one benefit that none of the Sheehans expected.
For a moment, life returned to the way it was before Casey died. They laughed, joked and bickered playfully as they briefly toured Seattle.
For the first time in 11 weeks, they felt whole again.
"That was the gift the president gave us, the gift of happiness, of being together," Cindy said.
So why the change of heart? Generally time helps heal wounds, so why is Mrs. Sheehan growing more and more bitter? Isn't it obvious that she's being exploited and manipulated by leftist political forces? Even if I agreed with her position, I'd find it hard to grant her much credibility.
(HT: James Taranto.)
Mary Todd Lincoln never recovered from the death of her husband.
Time is less likely to heal grief if the person believes their loved one died in vain.
While her grief is not relevant to whether Bush's Iraq policies are correct, neither is it relevant that more than 1,800 American service people died with respect to support for the war. Those 1800+ should honored for their service and willingness to sacrifice and mourned for lives often cut short. But the Iraq policy is either brilliant or stupid, moral or of Satan, without regard to those deaths. A million service people could be killed in battle, but if the war is wrong, it is wrong regardless of how many Americans have died.
Michael-
You are being dishonest by editing out her thoughts from her first meeting with Bush in the way you did. She did not, as you claim, have a "change of heart."
From your own link:
"We haven't been happy with the way the war has been handled," Cindy said. "The president has changed his reasons for being over there every time a reason is proven false or an objective reached."
The 10 minutes of face time with the president could have given the family a chance to vent their frustrations or ask Bush some of the difficult questions they have been asking themselves, such as whether Casey's sacrifice would make the world a safer place.
But in the end, the family decided against such talk, deferring to how they believed Casey would have wanted them to act. In addition, Pat noted that Bush wasn't stumping for votes or trying to gain a political edge for the upcoming election.