It is not an academic exercise for her. She lost her son --- and she'd like to know why. Nobody can explain to her -- or to any of us --- why we invaded Iraq and why people are dying. They said it was to protect us -- but it wasn't a threat. Then they said it was to liberate the Iraqi people, but Saddam and his government are a memory and yet the Iraqi people are still fighting us and each other. Our invasion of iraq has inspired more terrorism, not less. Oil prices are higher than they've ever been. The country is swimming in debt. People are being killed and maimed with the regularity of the tides. And everybody knows this. Deep inside they know that something has gone terribly wrong. We were either lied to or our leaders are verging on the insanely incompetent. That's why when Cindy Sheehan says that she wants to ask the president why her son died --- in those simple terms --- it makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. It's not just rhetorical.

How many times does he need to meet with her to appease all you libs?

But now the left has their hand up her back and are manipulating her like a little puppet for their 'anti Bush' agenda.

Think about the gall of a political and media machine "accusing" a private citizen of changing her mind (imagine that!) about an elected and supposedly accountable public official. When did a private citizen supposedly changing her opinion about something rise to the same level as a flip-flop about firing anyone involved in the leaking a CIA agent's name? At what point did the ability to change one's mind about a politician become something to be ridiculed and accused of instead of cherished as a basic right? And it's not as if in the past year we haven't learned anything about the pre-war manipulation of intelligence, as well as the incompetent planning, that resulted in the death of Cindy Sheehan's son and thousands of others like him.

Fifty-six percent of those polled said they thought things were going badly for the United States in Iraq, and 43 percent said things were going well. Two questions about the Iraq war were asked of about half the respondents, giving them a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points. On one, 57 percent said the war has made the United States less safe from terrorism -- a number that has risen dramatically in just two months when 39 percent said the U.S. homeland was less safe. On the other, 54 percent said they believe it was a mistake to send U.S. troops to Iraq; 44 percent said it was not a mistake.

I was in the Air Force and flew bombing missions over Viet Nam, Cambodia & Laos... First ...I was drafted...(I didn't join of my own free will)

Whether a soldier is drafted or volunteers, when our nation goes to war, it is ostensibly for a noble cause. Bush should articulate his noble cause for invading Iraq.

Even soldiers who volunteer change their minds when they get over there.

from a PR point of view, he should have granted her 30 minutes of his time. All he had to do was stand there, nod his head, say some lines about "freedom" and "9/11" and that would have taken a good deal out of this situation.

“Or rather, settle on one reason that has some validity.”

The number of visits is immaterial. Once again, I refer you to the fine post offered by Digby. He explains much better than I ever could.

The cause doesn't even have to be noble. Just legitimate. Which, I confess, I don't believe exists for a preemptive invasion.

Some have said we must not act until the threat is imminent. (That would be you, Jen.) Since when have terrorists and tyrants announced their intentions, politely putting us on notice before they strike? (That would be WTC '93, 9/11, USS Cole, Marine Barracks Lebanon, Spanish ralway bombs, London bomings, etc.) If this threat is permitted to fully and suddenly emerge, all actions, all words, and all recriminations would come too late. (See the previous list and understand that they haven't yet got the real killing weapons.) Trusting in the sanity and restraint of Saddam Hussein is not a strategy, and it is not an option.

Of course the number of visits are material. She met with him, they had a conversation. She doesn't like his answers. You love it. The Left loves it. But to many people she is now acting like a child.

et al - Mrs. Sheehan's son was killed defending his country. That was, and is, a noble and worthy cause. Honor to him.

(That would be WTC '93, 9/11, USS Cole, Marine Barracks Lebanon, Spanish ralway bombs, London bomings, etc.)

et al - Mrs. Sheehan's son was killed defending his country. That was, and is, a noble and worthy cause. Honor to him. Shame to the detractors.

It has been explained MANY times. As I said previoulsy...No matter how many times you are told...you won't like that answer and want to be told something different.

The debate, I think, should be whether cutting off finances to all the Als was reason enough to go over there or not.

But to many people she is now acting like a child.

Every couple of months or so when she decides she wants to talk... he should drop what he is doing and go to her?

You were close, man...but not close enough. It wasn't Saddam paying (protection money to) Bin Laden. I will give you a hint as to who it actually was. The guys that hold hands with Bush.

No government has the right to squander the lives of the men and women who have volunteered to protect their country and their fellow citizens, and no administration has the right to refuse to answer questions like those being posed by Mrs. Sheehan. Not if we're still pretending this is a democracy, and that our leaders are still accountable.

The reason has never changed, and in fact can’t;

There are many many terrorist groups out there that dont really tie together but hate the US.

Say it with me now, All Muslims are not terrorists.

"There was no question in our minds that there was a relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda."

...on Nov. 4, 1998, charging bin Laden with murder in the bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa. The indictment disclosed a close relationship between al Qaeda and Saddam's regime, which included specialists on chemical weapons and all types of bombs, including truck bombs, a favorite weapon of terrorists. The 1998 indictment said: "Al Qaeda also forged alliances with the National Islamic Front in the Sudan and with the government of Iran and its associated terrorist group Hezbollah for the purpose of working together against their perceived common enemies in the West, particularly the United States. In addition, al Qaeda reached an understanding with the government of Iraq that al Qaeda would not work against that government and that on particular projects, specifically including weapons development, al Qaeda would work cooperatively with the government of Iraq."

The President has chosen not to meet with Ms. Sheehan or to answer her question. To many other people, Jim, it is he who is acting like a child.

how did you manage to get drafted by the air force?

et al - Mrs. Sheehan's son was killed because we are in Iraq. We are in Iraq because the terrorists attacked us on 9/11. That was the event that got us on the camel's back, and triggered Bush's decision to fight the WOT in other places if at all possible.

But so far, all the terrorists have been Moslems.

Not to take sides here, but I'd guess that he received his draft notice from the army, but before his report date, enlisted in the air force. At one time, I believe, it was possible to do that. The army, during VN, was the last place you wanted to go.

Wrong. He has met with her. And you know it. So why make a false claim? Again. She didn't like his answer. Fine she can demonstrate forever and complain. But don't say he didn't answer her because that dear Quaker is a lie. And I apologize of being so blunt.

(BTW, I'm still waiting for someone to explain to me how Nancy Reagan is a shill (I don't think "media whore" is a nice term) for the Alzheimer's cure movement... ) [Ed. this is off topic, please stay on topic of Cindy Sheehan]

A burden he will NEVER meet. When it is down to three territories as ALWAYS planned...

Cindy Sheehan is a media whore selling her son's noble memory for 15 more minutes of the spotlight.

But so far, all the terrorists have been Moslems.

As for WMD's, there is a ton of information that he had them, he had used them, and the Kay Report said he was trying to develop them.

....flight school required OCS (enlisted don't fly bombers or fighters), and a five year committment. that would sort of make it voluntary. not that there's anything wrong with that, just want to get the facts straight.

I know how you feel Cindy, I lived among the same pains for 35 years but worse than that was the fear from losing our loved ones at any moment. Even while I'm writing these words to you there are feelings of fear, stress, and sadness that interrupt our lives all the time but in spite of all that I'm sticking hard to hope which if I didn't have I would have died years ago. Ma'am, we asked for your nation's help and we asked you to stand with us in our war and your nation's act was (and still is) an act of ultimate courage and unmatched sense of humanity. Our request is justified, death was our daily bread and a million Iraqi mothers were expecting death to knock on their doors at any second to claim someone from their families. Your face doesn't look strange to me at all; I see it everyday on endless numbers of Iraqi women who were struck by losses like yours. Our fellow country men and women were buried alive, cut to pieces and thrown in acid pools and some were fed to the wild dogs while those who were lucky enough ran away to live like strangers and the Iraqi mother was left to grieve one son buried in an unfound grave and another one living far away who she might not get to see again. We did nothing to deserve all that suffering, well except for a dream we had; a dream of living like normal people do. We cried out of joy the day your son and his comrades freed us from the hands of the devil and we went to the streets not believing that the nightmare is over. We practiced our freedom first by kicking and burning the statues and portraits of the hateful idol who stole 35 years from the life of a nation. For the first time air smelled that beautiful, that was the smell of freedom.

And Jim's eventual, you just know it, response? "Whatever."

Jim LOVES Butsh, and especially his anal winking.

BB: As an enlistee, you were flying bombing missions? What was your job on these missions?

The fact remains that Mrs. Sheehan’s son was killed fighting in defense of his country. I honor his memory. His mother should go home and support those who remain in the fight.

I haven’t written about Cindy Sheehan because it is just a tragedy. She has lost her kid, is grief-stricken, so I figure it best to just leave her alone. Fair enough. However, it is understandable that her new-found activism, along with her aligning herself with the radical anti-war left and staging media events with no purpose other than to attack the President, should be seen as opening herself up to criticisms of her political positions. It is also fair to state that many on the left have chosen her as a symbol to bludgeon anyone who still supports this war. The prevailing opinion from the left appears to be that Sheehan is the perfect weapon, someone whose viewpoints are simply not allowed to be challenged, someone who can be used at will to not only galvanize support for the anti-war movement, but to attack the President, the President’s policies, and anyone who chooses to continue to support the mission in Iraq. And no one is allowed to say anything to counter that- the President and those who still support themission are supposed to just sit there and take it, lest they be accused of attacking a grieving mother. And what a weapon she has turned out to be! As I write this, there are 2,560 current media stories about Cindy Sheehan listed by google news. Technorati coughs up another 4967 blog posts. Google, when asked, coughs and sputters and reveals 729,000 archived stories. By comparison, Todd Beamer, of “Let’s Roll” fame offers up 69,000 hits. With that alone, a reasonable person might feel safe in stating that Cindy Sheehan is at the very least approaching becoming a public figure. Throw in the MSNBC, FOX, CNN, NBC, ABC, and CBS coverage, her blogging for Michael Moore and the Huffington Post,and it is beyond safe to come to the conclusion that she has eclipsed ‘grieving mother’ status and has moved on to anti-war celebrity status. I would even venture to say that she is a political figure, as well as the perfect political weapon.

And no one is allowed to say anything to counter that- the President and those who still support themission are supposed to just sit there and take it, lest they be accused of attacking a grieving mother.

The president’s contempt for Sheehan and her supporters was emphasized Friday afternoon when his motorcade rode past them without stopping on the way to a political fundraiser near his ranch. Law enforcement required the protesters to stand behind a yellow tape as Bush’s caravan passed. Ms. Sheehan held up a sign reading, “Why do you make time for donors and not for me?” Bush and about 230 others were attending a barbeque fundraiser at the nearby 478-acre Broken Spoke Ranch, and the event was expected to raise at least $2 million for the Republican National Committee. All of the well-heeled guests have contributed at least $25,000 to the RNC, with some—dubbed “pioneers”—having raised $100,000 or more. This circle of wealthy Republican Party insiders stands in stark contrast to the families of the young men and women who are being sent to fight and die in Iraq, the overwhelming majority of whom come from poor and working class neighborhoods across America, having joined up to earn money for college, learn a trade or simply find a paying job.

And of course, the irony of all the "compassionate" folks here going completely apoplectic over comments left by those on the right -- to the point where they attack them using nasty ad hominems -- is not lost on me.