“Enough Already”
[Guest post by DRJ]
Cindy Sheehan was a media darling four years ago when she camped outside President George Bush’s Crawford, Texas, ranch to protest the Iraq War. ABC’s Charlie Gibson anchoring Good Morning America opened the August 10, 2005, broadcast with the following words as video showed Sheehan “yelling at a Sheriff’s deputy” near Bush’s ranch:
“Standing her ground. She lost her son in Iraq, she opposes the war, now she’s camped out at President Bush’s ranch and says she won’t leave until he meets with her. An exclusive interview on Good Morning America.”
In succeeding weeks, Gibson continued to cover Sheehan’s protests against President Bush’s War in Iraq.
That was then. Now Cindy Sheehan plans to travel to Martha’s Vineyard to protest President Obama’s War in Afghanistan. Isn’t that equally newsworthy? Not to Charlie Gibson:
“Gibson’s answer was sympathetic but clear: No. “I gather she’s going back to Martha’s Vineyard,” Gibson began.
“It’s such a sad story. Martha Raddatz [of ABC News] wrote a terrific book about one battle that took place in Iraq, and it was the battle in which Cindy’s son was killed. And you look at somebody like that and you think here’s somebody who’s just trying to find some meaning in her son’s death. And you have to be sympathetic to her. Anybody who has given a son to this country has made an enormous sacrifice, and you have to be sympathetic. But enough already.”
Here is the WLS audio of Gibson’s interview.
However, I empathize with Gibson’s feeling that he’s heard enough from Sheehan. I feel the same about him.
— DRJ
“I feel the same about him.”
As do the majority of thinking people.
GM Roper (85dcd7) — 8/21/2009 @ 2:27 pmDo you suppose ol’ Charlie said that line while leaning back in his chair with his head tilted forward and his glasses perched on the end of his nose, just like in his Sarah Palin interview?
What a dweeb.
JVW (111cb0) — 8/21/2009 @ 2:32 pmCindy Sheehan is “just another racist who wants to tell people who they can marry and whether they can have abortions and cannot stand the thought of a black man as President”.
No, this is not a parody or me channeling, JD. It’s me quoting, almost verbatim, an Obama voter. A seventy-year old, successful attorney, from an affluent suburb of Chicago, Obama voter. (To be fair, he did not say “Cindy Sheehan”. He was talking about everybody who was not sucking the gumdrops out of Obama’s unicorn’s ass.)
nk (4ee048) — 8/21/2009 @ 2:37 pmCharlie’s recent spin could have been applied to the Bush era Cindy as well.
Alta Bob (3dd3fe) — 8/21/2009 @ 2:39 pmCharlie Gibson doesn’t need to be moderating any more presidential debates I don’t think because he has an oral fixation on Barack Obama’s crotch that is unsuitable for family viewing
happyfeet (71f55e) — 8/21/2009 @ 2:50 pmbecause he has an oral fixation on Barack Obama’s crotch that is unsuitable for family viewing
As do 99 44/100% of the MSM.
PatAZ (9d1bb3) — 8/21/2009 @ 2:53 pmWe have a problem, no question.
happyfeet (71f55e) — 8/21/2009 @ 2:55 pmThanks for that one, happyfeet.
So, Momma Sheehan is only a story when she is making an arse of herself when a Republican is in office.
JD (e68c1a) — 8/21/2009 @ 3:03 pm“Making an arse of herself”? Mayhaps it’s time for the woman’s detractors to eat every word they ever uttered accusing Sheehan of playing politics and admit that a mother can feel a great deal of genuine anger at the death of her son – loathe as they may be to admit something like that. Because it wasn’t about Bush, apparently.
Leviticus (f565c1) — 8/21/2009 @ 3:37 pmAnd fuck Charlie Gibson, by the way – for all of his self-righteous, I’m-the-voice-of-the-people proclamations.
Leviticus (f565c1) — 8/21/2009 @ 3:39 pmIncluding the Palin interview – just so I don’t have to explain “my inconsistencies” fifty times.
Leviticus (f565c1) — 8/21/2009 @ 3:40 pmCindy’s a dirty socialist skeezer what pimps her dead son even harder than Barack Obama makes his dead white grandma work for it. Cindy’s son would be very mortified by his deranged wack job of a mother I think.
happyfeet (71f55e) — 8/21/2009 @ 3:42 pmShe hates war, Leviticus. It killed her son. Nobody denies that. This post is about who uses her and who abuses her, I think.
nk (4ee048) — 8/21/2009 @ 3:42 pmLeviticus,
I think it’s true Sheehan’s Obama protests suggest it wasn’t about Bush — assuming she’s as diligent and forceful in criticizing Obama as she was Bush — but there’s still the issue of whether her protests are for her or her son. From all reports I’ve read, her son believed in the military and its mission, so it seems her protests are more about her choices than his.
DRJ (d8773e) — 8/21/2009 @ 3:43 pmCharles Gibson is the epitome of “double standard” when applying the journalistic standards of President43 vs. President44.Moreover he is just a lighter shade of Olberman grey.
mike191 (fb536a) — 8/21/2009 @ 3:48 pmThe Matriot is not worth getting all wee weed’d up about. I think she should go back to having nasty dirty socialist sex with Hugo Chavez myself, the dirty, dirty sleazebag whore.
daleyrocks (718861) — 8/21/2009 @ 4:14 pmLeviticus – Considering that her son enlisted, and then re-enlisted, her actions have been all about her, while wrapping herself in the Leftist blanket of moral authority. What did her little get together have to do with her hating war? She is a miserable dirty little socialist.
JD (aeb697) — 8/21/2009 @ 4:34 pmIt’s time I think to revisit this site that was set up to encourage our hard-hearted President to meet with good Lady Sheehan.
We can’t ever ever ever let ourselves forget her story, for her story is the story of all of us what have manipulative propgandy stories about people we loved what are dead many many years now.
happyfeet (71f55e) — 8/21/2009 @ 4:44 pmnk –
I would’ve agreed that you were probably right as to the intent of this post (i.e. Charlie Gibson’s pompous bullshit) if I hadn’t popped back in to find people calling Sheehan a “dirty sleazebag whore”.
JD, happyfeet, daleyrocks –
That’s a laughably flippant dismissal of a mother’s grief you’ve got going for you there. “Her actions have been all about her?” Of course they’ve been all about her – they can’t be about her son, because she doesn’t have one anymore. Because he’s dead. And she believes that the war in which he died was misguided.
What the fuck do you expect her to do? And why is she a “dirty little socialist”? Or is that just the mindlessly trendy conservative label of the hour, something to give the boys a nice guffaw? Y’all are so bloody clever, right?
(*spits*)
Leviticus (f565c1) — 8/21/2009 @ 5:23 pmLeviticus,
I think you know my intent in writing this is discussing Charlie Gibson’s attitude as a journalist and not Cindy Sheehan. But one thing I’ve learned from blogging is that conversations often range far afield. Sometimes it makes the conversation more interesting and sometimes it doesn’t, but it’s a waste of time trying to make everyone talk about my topic when they don’t want to.
DRJ (d8773e) — 8/21/2009 @ 5:32 pmSpit right back at you, Leviticus. She has wrangled her faux moral authority and used it to have little lovefests with dirty little socialists like Hugo Chavez. But, you do not have to dislike her any more than I have to like her. To each their own.
JD (d3806e) — 8/21/2009 @ 5:35 pmLeviticus:
I expect her to act like she was the mother of a grown man who made choices. She may have disagreed with the choices he made and the life he lived, but that doesn’t mean she should demean him by treating her son as evil or so stupid or naive that he could be misled by the “evil” Bush and his military. She called the troops war criminals, Leviticus. I feel sorry for her loss but I won’t defend her libel.
DRJ (d8773e) — 8/21/2009 @ 5:38 pmCharie Gibson is looking down over his pompous little glasses sneering at all of you.
JD (d3806e) — 8/21/2009 @ 5:41 pmA Harley biker is riding by the zoo in Washington, DC when he sees a little girl leaning into the lion’s cage. Suddenly, the lion grabs her by the cuff of her jacket and tries to pull her inside to slaughter her, under the eyes of her screaming parents.
The biker jumps off his Harley, runs to the cage and hits the lion square on the nose with a powerful punch.
Whimpering from the pain the lion jumps back letting go of the girl, and the biker brings her to her terrified parents, who thank him endlessly. A reporter has watched the whole event.
The reporter addressing the Harley rider says, ‘Sir, this was the most gallant and brave thing I’ve seen a man do in my whole life.’
The Harley rider replies, ‘Why, it was nothing, really, the lion was behind bars. I just saw this little kid in danger and acted as I felt right.’
The reporter says, ‘Well, I’ll make sure this won’t go unnoticed. I’m a journalist, you know, and tomorrow’s paper will have this story on the front page… So, what do you do for a living and what political affiliation do you have?’
The biker replies, ‘I’m a U.S. Marine and a Republican.’ The journalist leaves.
The following morning the biker buys the paper to see if it indeed brings news of his actions, and reads, on the front page:
U.S. MARINE ASSAULTS AFRICAN IMMIGRANT AND STEALS HIS LUNCH
That pretty much sums up the liberal news media’s approach to the news these days.
gahrie (9d1bb3) — 8/21/2009 @ 6:21 pmAnd why is she a “dirty little socialist”?
And why is she a “dirty little socialist”?
And why is she a “dirty little socialist”?
I DON’T KNOW WHY SHE JUST IS OK JEEZ
Casey’s mom’s got dirty socialisms goin’ on. She’s all Levi wants and he’s waited for so long I think.
happyfeet (6b707a) — 8/21/2009 @ 6:23 pmLeviticus – She was a manufactured astroturf creation of the antiwar left and she didn’t even realize it. She’s half a dozen sandwiches short of a picnic. I can respect her grief, but not the way she dishonored our troops and the memory of her son. The Vanity Fair photo of her lying on her son’s grave was disgusting! Put her out of our misery.
spit!
daleyrocks (718861) — 8/21/2009 @ 6:24 pmIt always struck me that Cindy Sheehan simply could not get over the hump of grief. Eventually it consumed her. I haven’t lost a son, so I don’t know that depth of loss but I do know that her continual blistering of our troops and relentless attacks on Bush were disgraceful – and misdirected.
She reminds me of Jesse Jacksonn: they have both become irrelevant. And underneath it all, I believe they both know this. Hence the desperation…although motivated by different things.
Anyway, MoDo said Sheehan had the ultimate moral authority – we’ll have to see if President Obama agrees out on the Vineyard.
But his [Bush] 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.
Dana (0f0b2e) — 8/21/2009 @ 7:06 pmNo longer useful, the idiot lies abandoned.
Kevin Murphy (3c3db0) — 8/21/2009 @ 7:29 pmOh, and BTW, for those who’ve forgotten, GWB did meet with Cindy Sheehan along with countless other Gold Star Mothers, numerous times. But, that wasn’t good enough for our dear Cindy, who ended up to the Left of SanFranNan, if that is even possible.
AD - RtR/OS! (d00388) — 8/21/2009 @ 7:49 pmBTW Leviticus,your potty mouth flies in the face of the book of the Bible from which you have so thoughtfully lifted your moniker. Your frequent use of the F-bomb does nothing for your arguments except to reassure those of us with a less limited vocabulary that you are indeed juvinile and crass.
As for Charlie, he is just that: a pompous ass. I can’t stand more than one or two words from him and I am nauseous.
Cindy is indeed a grieving mother who can’t seem to move on. She will not accept that her son made a deliberate decision to enlist not once, but twice. She has been used by the loons on the left and when they were done with her they tossed her to the side like garbage. She sacrificed her marriage and her family for a bunch of immoral and dishonest hippies. She needs professional help and a loving Savior. You, my friend, need at least one of those.
PatriotRider (37b91c) — 8/21/2009 @ 7:53 pmFans of lefty media bias might enjoy this: In the Vineyard Gazette, the twee and yery PC newspaper of Martha’s Vineyard, there’s a story about how Cindy Sheehan is coming to protest Obama’s visit. She is described as a “peace activist” who plans “a series of events. On the other hand, the newspaper also notes that “right-wing activists” will be on the island and that their protests will be “targeting” the president.
Kevin Stafford (5d18a5) — 8/21/2009 @ 7:57 pmI swear to fucking Christ, I will punch in the throat the next person I see denigrate someone else’s faith because that other person has the audacity to use foul language.
Scott Jacobs (d027b8) — 8/21/2009 @ 8:10 pmI bet Lifetime has made at least 3 movies with a similar storyline.
JD (c2294f) — 8/21/2009 @ 8:14 pmshe’s not a grieving a mother. [object]sellout
chas (74529e) — 8/21/2009 @ 8:16 pmComment by PatriotRider — 8/21/2009 @ 7:53 pm
I have been a believer in Christ for more than 30 years. The longer I walk in faith, the more I realize how little I know. It’s a good place to be. Yet one thing I do know for sure is that given the wretched state of my sinful heart, I have given Him a whole lot of material to work with, and whether I have a fucking potty mouth or not is really way, way down on His list of concerns, if at all. He is far more concerned with my rebellious heart – as I am sure He is with yours. Considering we’d be in one hell (literally and figuratively!) of a lot of trouble without His Grace, it’s most unbecoming not to extend it toward others.
The substance of Levitcus’s argument is what matters. So now I am now going to re-read your comment, overlook the haughty judgment, and consider the substance. I hope you do likewise with his.
Dana (0f0b2e) — 8/21/2009 @ 10:07 pmGreat comment, Dana.
DRJ (d8773e) — 8/21/2009 @ 10:20 pm“BTW Leviticus,your potty mouth flies in the face of the book of the Bible from which you have so thoughtfully lifted your moniker.”
WTF? I thought Leviticus said he took his screen name from a bass player in a heavy metal band.
daleyrocks (718861) — 8/21/2009 @ 10:51 pmI thought Leviticus said he took his screen name from a bass player in a heavy metal band.
Reporters one day should all use screen names like bloggers. Charlie Gibson’s education, employer, salary, awards and misdeeds would be similarly unattainable.
steve (0b26d0) — 8/22/2009 @ 1:51 amNo, no. PatriotRider’s right. I really shouldn’t swear so much. It’s a bad habit I picked up when I was young – seventh grade. Fifth grade, you’re in a class with a teacher who’s watching your every move. Sixth grade, you’re not in that class anymore, but you’ve still got a sneaking suspicion that that same teacher’s going to jump out from behind a trash can and drag you to the principal’s office if you say anything more colorful than “H-E-DoubleHockeySticks”. Seventh grade, you realize that… yeah, that’s not gonna happen. And it all goes downhill from there, linguistically speaking.
Anyway – yeah, I cuss way too much. It’s a habit I’m trying to break, but sometimes it just sorta flows naturally (as weird as that sounds)… but that’s no excuse in a blog setting, where one has the chance to edit everything one says before one says it, so… sorry.
daleyrocks,
in re: nominal etymologies,
Nope. I’m Levi in real life, and once in a while people I know call me Leviticus, and one day a few years back I posted my first comment on this blog as Leviticus. So that’s that.
Leviticus (f565c1) — 8/22/2009 @ 2:13 amIn any event, the Old Testament proscription is against taking the Lord’s name in vain. So the f-bomb is not blasphemous. Unless you belong to some agrarian fertility cult like the Eleusinian Mysteries, maybe. 😉
nk (4ee048) — 8/22/2009 @ 5:46 amFirst of all I wasn’t judging anyone. Just making an observation. OK so I was off on where the moniker came from. However, the foul language, at least in courteous discourse, is distracting and of little value. To me it shows a lack of respect and vocabulary.
Secondly, it appears that Leviticus is not the only person on this blog who has this issue.
And, Levi, I too had no control over my mouth until that Grace that Dana spoke of came into my life. The Savior that we all need took the habit away to prove His presence in my life. Fact.
Now you all can flame away.
PatriotRider (37b91c) — 8/22/2009 @ 6:06 amDid I get deleted?
PatriotRider (37b91c) — 8/22/2009 @ 6:49 amNevermind.
PatriotRider (37b91c) — 8/22/2009 @ 6:50 amWhy should we flame you, PatriotRider? We are all a bunch of bitter people clinging to our guns and religion, haven’t you heard?
nk (4ee048) — 8/22/2009 @ 7:29 am“First of all I wasn’t judging anyone. Just making an observation.”
Please explain the difference.
daleyrocks (718861) — 8/22/2009 @ 7:52 am“in re: nominal etymologies”
Leviticus – Just trying to help. Heh.
daleyrocks (718861) — 8/22/2009 @ 7:55 amOf course they’ve been all about her – they can’t be about her son, because she doesn’t have one anymore. Because he’s dead. And she believes that the war in which he died was misguided.
I’d be surprised if Cindy Sheehan didn’t fit the profile of the stereotypical leftist, a person who sees politics as deserving of (and needing) religious fervor. IOW, she’d probably be wailing at the moon, grousing about war, foaming at the mouth towards Republican/rightists, even if her son were still alive and, more tellingly, an anti-war ultra-leftist — like she is — to boot.
Mark (411533) — 8/22/2009 @ 12:17 pmIt’s worth remembering that after the passing if Peter Jennings, Gibson was tried, then essentially pushed aside for the ‘World News Tonight’ anchor position when ABC News management instituted a younger, dual anchor team of Elizabeth Vargas and Bob Woodruff. It was only after Woodruff was seriously injured in Iraq that the gig eventually tumbled into Gibson’s lap.
After much internal wrangling at ABC — including an unsuccessful attempt to appoint one of the network’s most recognizable anchors, Charles Gibson, as Mr. Jennings’s successor in the short term — Mr. Westin had sought to herald a period of newfound stability for the network when he announced early last month that he was appointing Mr. Woodruff, 44, and Ms. Vargas, 43, as co-anchors. NYT- 1/30/06
DCSCA (9d1bb3) — 8/22/2009 @ 1:13 pmYou got that much right, at least
I assure you, my vocabulary is more than sufficient to deal with a quisling plebeian like yourself.
I just use the short, vulgar expletives so that I can be certain that you comprehend what I’ve said, you great massive tool.
Scott Jacobs (d027b8) — 8/22/2009 @ 1:17 pm