Why do we want Bush to meet with Cindy? Who would that be good for?

[Billy Burnett]

Would that be a coup for Cindy and the gold star families, or would that be a coup for the war party?

Why are the Dem 15+ advising Bush to meet with her? Isn't that just advising him to continue with the false front?


Is say let Bush be hung on his own petard. Let Cindy and the growing protest hang in there in Crawford for the entire vacation. Kudos to them.

Agree? Or not?


_______________________

[smoogatz]

1. Because she wants him to answer a tough question.

Which is, if I understand the situation correctly: "Why did you lie about your reasons for invading Iraq and get my son killed for nothing?" It's a question that ought to be asked, and answered. Don't you think?

[Billy Burnett]

3. It'll never be answered honestly. Gives W* more propaganda.

The MSM will only kneel down for Bush again.

[smoogatz]

7. No, of course he won't answer honestly--

that's the whole point. But the American people should have the chance to see for themselves how he treats her, and what kind of bullshit comes out of his mouth. I think she's a hero: anyone who speaks truth to power in this day and age should be applauded.

[benburch]

2. We know in advance that he is too much of a coward to do it.

So it is a hypothetical.

Assuming they liquor him up and send him out there to talk to her, and assuming we can get it on the record, it can only be a coup for the anti-war movement because we had set the agenda for once.

The only way he could make it a positive is to actually show some human compassion and understanding. Like inviting them all into the ranch and then meeting with them and actually articulating his reasons for the war in a way that is believable.

[Mutley]

4. And we all know it'll be a cold day in hell when that happens.

"The only way he could make it a positive is to actually show some human compassion and understanding. Like inviting them all into the ranch and then meeting with them and actually articulating his reasons for the war in a way that is believable."

[Literate Tar Heel]

5. because he's backed into a corner

they know he won't do it, so the more pressure they put upon him, the more attention it draws ... at this point, he really doesn't gain anything by meeting with her because it would appear that he was caving into Democratic and anti-war pressure, which would weaken his appeal with his base ... if he'd have met with her before this started receiving media attention, the whole situation could have been defused and no one would have ever heard anything about it ... as it was, he feels he doesn't owe anyone any answers for anything and now it's starting to come back to haunt him

[Billy Burnett]

11. won't meeting her defuse the situation?

The lapdog MSM will portray Bush as a sensible and sensitive man. It could turn into a Rovian victory.

I agree with keeping the pressure on, but I want Bush to stay in his Crawford spider hole and not meet her. It is the true Bush.

[BrklynLiberal]

13. Perfect image!!!!

"Bush to stay in his Crawford spider hole"

[Literate Tar Heel]

14. it's too late

it would defuse that specific situation for the time being, but it would be nearly impossible to spin it to portray Bush as sensible and sensitive because it would be obvious that he only met with her because of the build-up of public and media pressure ... if he truly wanted to meet with her, he would have done so a week ago before this started picking up steam ... to meet with her now would go contrary to everything he professes to believe (that he doesn't rule by public opinion, that he pays no attention to the media, blah blah blah)

[tblue37]

15. If he meets with her now

he is merely caving to pressure or doing it to gain positive publicity.

The only time he could have safely met with her was at the beginning, before he allowed the SS and local law enforcement (as well as right wing spokesmen like O'Reilley and Drudge) to harass her and before the story went into the media in a big way.

[JDPriestly]

6. It's a test . Can Bush remember Cindy's name this time?

Or will this man, who is noted for remembering names just call her "Mom" again? If he remembers, we remove him from office for high crimes and misdemeanors because he lied the country's way into Iraq. If he doesn't we remove him because he is mentally unfit. Either way, we are rid him. We can dream, can't we?

[BlueEyedSon]

8. Doesn't matter if he does or not

it's lose-lose for him already

[Inland]

9. To legitimize the concept of King Bush listening to citizens

From before the war, people with doubts were delegitimized as focus groups, and the decision for war was solely Bush's based on Bush's opinion. He would do whatever he had to do, in his opinion, based on what he thought.

Failing to get behind the war decision was unpatriotic or helped the enemy. The only thing to do is rally around the only president we have. In fact, it was time for him to be known as the Commander in Chief even among civilians.

The only time to question the president's war policies was during the election campaign, at which time the question is again de legitimized as "just politics" or "they just hate Bush" until after the election, when the question is once again marginalized and de legitimized as inappropriate now that the election is over.

I'm sick of the ideology that makes Bush an elected dictator with the elections themselves turned into a smear and delegitimization of opposition. I'm sick of the mere questioning being accused of helping terrorists or being "just politics".


Bush's actually meeting a citizen to hear her statements will cure that. No, it won't change Bush's mind, but that's why he's going to hell.

What it changes, and has changed, is the mind of Americans that don't understand this President's belief that merely allowing someone to raise an issue to his face shows a lack of resolve.

[Triana]

10. What we ultimately and unrealistically want...

...is for him to be forced to own up to his lies - the lies that killed Casey Sheehan and almost two thousand like him.

He'll never do that.

Meanwhile, Cindy Sheehan has that weaselly little beady-eyed maniac cornered. And we rightfully take pleasure in that. He looks BAD. REALLY bad, because of this woman.

And no matter what he does, short of a total public confession and subsequent resignation, or impeachment, or volunteering to be sent to prison for war crimes, will make him look any better - even *that* won't unmuddy his political standing and name.

What do we want?

J U S T I C E

Not just for Cindy, but for this entire country and all who've died and been maimed in this pretentious "war". And we're going to get it one way or the other. Cindy is the catalyst. One person CAN change perceptions and thus the course of events in history. Rosa Parks was one. Martin Luther King was another. Cindy Sheehan is a third.

[Billy Burnett]

16. Thank you Triana.

What a wonderful answer.

[Akoto]

12. Cindy wins either way.

If * comes out to speak with her, he admits defeat, the one thing that he NEVER wants to do. Chances are he'll make an idiot of himself trying to answer her questions, which will only further the humiliation.

If he chooses to avoid her for the entirety of his "vacation", it reveals that he's a coward with something to hide, and that the so-called respect he has for the families of fallen veterans is absolute hogwash.

What's more, if Cindy is arrested with the eyes of the nation and the world upon her, she'll be made a living martyr of the cause. What better example of our freedoms being quashed than the mother of a deceased soldier exercising her right to protest, only to be labeled a threat and taken into custody?

Any way I look at it, it's lose-lose-lose for *.