Great new Maureen Dowd column in the NYTimes ...

[Zen Democrat]

About Cindy Sheehan ... and the Rolling Stones ... and Paul Hackett, and our inhumane pResident.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/10/opinion/10dowd.html

There's an angry mother of a dead soldier camping outside his Crawford ranch, demanding to see a president who prefers his sympathy to be carefully choreographed.

The president met with her family two months after Casey's death. Capturing W.'s awkwardness in traversing the line between somber and joking, and his love of generic labels, Ms. Sheehan said that W. had referred to her as "Mom" throughout the meeting, and given her the sense that he did not know who her son was.

The Bush team tried to discredit "Mom" by pointing reporters to an old article in which she sounded kinder to W. If only her husband were an undercover C.I.A. operative, the Bushies could out him. But even if they send out a squad of Swift Boat Moms for Truth, there will be a countering Falluja Moms for Truth.

It's amazing that the White House does not have the elementary shrewdness to have Mr. Bush simply walk down the driveway and hear the woman out, or invite her in for a cup of tea. But W., who has spent nearly 20 percent of his presidency at his ranch, is burrowed into his five-week vacation and two-hour daily workouts. He may be in great shape, but Iraq sure isn't.

(snip)

Selectively humane, Mr. Bush justified his Iraq war by stressing the 9/11 losses. He emphasized the humanity of the Iraqis who desire freedom when his W.M.D. rationale vaporized.

But his humanitarianism will remain inhumane as long as he fails to understand that the moral authority of parents who bury children killed in Iraq is absolute.

[madrchsod]

1. she` has been very good of late.

i could stand to sit in a bar and talk to her

[Miss Chybil]

2. "moral authority of parents who bury children killed in Iraq is absolute"

Exactamundo! This is why the chicken-hawk is so afraid of her. He has NO moral authority. Zilch. Zip. Nada.

[JDPriestly]

3. What scares Bush most about the questions

Cindy Sheehan wants to ask him? Having to explain why his own children have not volunteered for military duty. That's what. If Bush and his family really believed in the importance of the Iraq war, Bush's children would have volunteered by now. Bush's father volunteered for WWII when he was very young. By threatening to ask Bush why his daughters have not signed up, Cindy Sheehan is pointing directly to Bush's hypocrisy. It's OK for Cindy Sheehan's son to die for his country, but not for Bush's daughters. That's the crux of the matter.

[snowbear]

4. Awesome column ~~

Thanks for sharing it Zen!

[Supersedeas]

5. how dare she question the understanding of our Supreme Leader

[Catchawave]

6. I read it earlier and it made my day!

Thanks for posting it zen :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :hi: