What have we learned? A movement needs a face. nt

[DesEtoiles]

[BlueEyedSon]

1. And a spine.

And a Heart.

[LisaM]

2. And a voice....

her steady, unflustered honest voice helps too.

[GreenPartyVoter]

3. and a spotlight

[Swamp Rat]

4. A brain?

They had the other vitals covered. :D

[Independent_Liberal]

5. And guts.

:)

[Lars39]

6. And people.

Added daily. :)

[ohio_liberal]

7. Cajones?

Either the real ones or the brass ones that most intelligent women seem to have :D

[moodforaday]

8. And to act first

I know it's easy to be saying this from behind a keyboard and on another continent, but to me, the core point here is that Cindy Sheehan made her move first. It was not a reaction to something done by the Bush cabal. And it seems to me that most opposition movements anywhere most of the time just react to what's being done by the ruling side. Protests, comments, debunking, they're all fine and they're all needed, but if they are ALL you ever do, you only end up playing by the rules the other side sets.

What's needed is taking initiative. Cindy has put Bush in a no-win spot by acting first.

[marions ghost]

11. exactly !

when you're always reacting, you are not in the strongest position.

Liberals have been so cowed, so downtrodden. But look what happens when one person takes the lead, by sticking her neck out to put the blame squarely where it belongs. Everybody else comes out from behind the trees and bushes.

[teryang]

9. She has taken the high ground in a war myth

PR is about identifying, mobilizing and controlling myths:

Cindy has taken possession of one of the most powerful mythology icons: the mother of the fallen soldier.

This regime's simplistic propaganda, the lack of a moral justification, tactical failure, torture, and censorship have made them vulnerable to Cindy's approach in a huge way. She has taken possession of a mythological patriotic image that is virtually unchallengeable under the circumstances.

[mondo joe]

10. It needs a human story - not a legalistic one, not a historic one, not

even a logical one (though it pains me to say that).

And it needs to stay on-topic and focused and not splintered into 100 other issues.