When this is all over, I might do a timeline on this sad but silly episode. I've lost siblings to violence, and I'm happy to say that my mother handled it much better than Casey Sheehan's did. But then, she could hardly miss. If Casey had been my brother - making Cindy my mother - I'd have bitch slapped her. On TV, if possible. Her own family has begged her to stop and left it at that, but that's carrying restraint too far.

But for now, let's note that the hard Left is already discarding her. I guess they've got all the mileage they can from her. There is no loyalty on the Left. Never has been, but the useful idiots are less useful these days.

[link|http://www.washtimes.com/national/20050830-103725-7803r.htm|The Washington Times has the story]. But I wish they wouldn't call these people "liberal." That's an insult to [link|http://www.newcriterion.com/archive/23/mar05/mansfield.htm|true liberals]. What they are is elitist scum who think they're born to be the vanguard of the proletariat or something. (Also, characterizing them as "powerful" may be giving these fossilized yippies too much credit.)

Excerpt:

Powerful liberal advocacy groups such as MoveOn.org are taking a less active role in Cindy Sheehan's anti-war activities in the wake of criticism that they may have muddied her message.

The groups, which played a major role in Mrs. Sheehan's monthlong vigil outside President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, are scaling back their involvement as Mrs. Sheehan prepares to leave Texas today on a bus tour to Washington.

Critics had said it appeared that Mrs. Sheehan had morphed from a mother grieving the loss of her son in Iraq into a pawn of liberal advocacy groups.

"The vigil started as a very grass-roots thing and then grew because groups like MoveOn were drawn to what Cindy was doing and wanted to offer their support," said Wade Fletcher of Mintwood Media Collective, a Washington-based public-relations group advising the Sheehan demonstrators.

"Now we're kind of bringing it back to the original grass roots," he added.
For example, the protesters will no longer receive strategic and political advice from Fenton Communications, a large, left-wing public-relations firm. That role reverts to Mintwood, a small operation that helped Mrs. Sheehan early on.

Also taking a lesser role will be MoveOn.org, which spent August running anti-Bush TV and newspaper ads featuring Mrs. Sheehan. The group, which posted images on its Web site likening the president to Adolf Hitler, once pledged to raise $2 million to keep Sheehan ads on the air.

I say:

These alleged grass roots never amounted to much, as the counter protests make clear. Cindy Sheehan [link|http://www.moveamericaforward.org/index.php/MAF/FullNewsItem/you_dont_speak_for_me_cindy_tour_includes_caravan_to_crawford_rally/|does not speak for] other families of troops. She certainly doesn't speak for Casey Sheehan. As for those she *does* speak for, well, they're discarding her like a used tissue.

Of course, she could simply speak for herself, but that would require her to have a mind of her own...


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