News Should Bush meet with Cindy Sheehan?

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The discussion centers on whether President Bush should take time from his vacation to meet with Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a soldier killed in Iraq. Participants express varied opinions on the appropriateness and implications of such a meeting. Some argue that Bush has already met with Sheehan and that it would be unreasonable for him to meet every grieving parent, suggesting that he should focus on his presidential duties instead. Others contend that a meeting could humanize Bush and address public concerns about his perceived detachment from the consequences of the war. There is a recognition that Sheehan's activism stems from profound grief and a desire for accountability regarding her son's death, with some suggesting that her efforts have sparked broader anti-war sentiments. The conversation highlights the complexities of political responsibility, personal loss, and the challenges of public perception in the context of war. Ultimately, many agree that Bush's decision either way could be seen as a no-win situation, reflecting the deep emotional and political divides surrounding the Iraq war.
  • #61
... well said:
Maybe she feels that this movement is ultimately what will give meaning to Casey's death, even though she originally hoped for a meeting.

Sheehan Glad Bush Didn't Meet With Her

By ANGELA K. BROWN
The Associated Press
Tuesday, August 30, 2005; 11:33 PM

CRAWFORD, Texas -- A woman who led an anti-war protest for nearly a month near President Bush's ranch said Tuesday that she's glad Bush never showed up to discuss her son's death in Iraq, saying the president's absence "galvanized the peace movement."

Cindy Sheehan's comments came as war protesters packed up their campsite near the ranch and prepared to leave Tuesday for a three-week bus tour.

"I look back on it, and I am very, very, very grateful he did not meet with me, because we have sparked and galvanized the peace movement," Sheehan told The Associated Press. "If he'd met with me, then I would have gone home, and it would have ended there."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/30/AR2005083001592.html

Like Informal Logic said:

In the meantime, I hope Bush will continue his negative sell tactics against Cindy and anti war activists. It makes him look as ugly as he really is. And I hope people like fib remain oblivious to the changing of the guard.
 
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  • #62
Sheehan said:
"If he'd met with me, then I would have gone home, and it would have ended there."
So then this is/was about her and getting her meeting? If she got it she would have just gone home and been done with it? Doesn't sound like she's terribly dedicated to a cause really. The things it seems that hurt her position in some people's eyes is that she comes off as selfish and self promoting. She doesn't seem to give much reason to believe otherwise.
 
  • #63
TheStatutoryApe said:
So then this is/was about her and getting her meeting? If she got it she would have just gone home and been done with it? Doesn't sound like she's terribly dedicated to a cause really. The things it seems that hurt her position in some people's eyes is that she comes off as selfish and self promoting. She doesn't seem to give much reason to believe otherwise.

It wasn't about a cause, no. It was about her screaming "Why did my kid die?!"

That a movement has grown out of it probably makes her think she now has a reason, in retrospect, for why her kid died.

You can say it's nuts, if you want, but that's how it goes. When your kid dies, you feel like you're facing a mountain that you have to tunnel through, and your only tool is a spoon.

Was it selfish? In the sense that she is surviving one day at a time, any way she can, sure. Was it also selfless? In the sense that she feels the way she does because of her love for her child, with whom mothers are completely tied up as a matter of course, yes - it was also selfless.
 
  • #64
Let me put it this way:
President Bush did not kill her son.
Her son signed up, he was not drafted.
He knew what could happen to him, but he still went.
He was mature enough to make his own decision, he was not "conned" into the millitary.
He sacrificed his life for his country.
He did not have to go.
Do you understand?
She still has the right to protest, but her protest makes no sence.

Mehercule!
 
  • #65
1 said:
Let me put it this way:
President Bush did not kill her son.

No but he sent him to die for oil.

Her son signed up, he was not drafted.

There is no draft, hasn't been one for years.

He knew what could happen to him, but he still went.

He was a mechanic, he did not have a combat MOS.

He was mature enough to make his own decision, he was not "conned" into the millitary.

Have you talked to a recruiter lately?

He sacrificed his life for his country.

He sacrificed his life so you can buy gasoline.

He did not have to go.

Even as a mechanic he had no choice but to go.

Do you understand?

Do you understand?

She still has the right to protest, but her protest makes no sence.

What do you know about losing a son in a war that is about oil??
 
  • #66
TheStatutoryApe said:
So then this is/was about her and getting her meeting? If she got it she would have just gone home and been done with it? Doesn't sound like she's terribly dedicated to a cause really. The things it seems that hurt her position in some people's eyes is that she comes off as selfish and self promoting. She doesn't seem to give much reason to believe otherwise.
If Bush had met with her it could have taken away her anger and defused the situation. I think she is glad he didn't because she has sparked an anti-war movement.

Good for her.
 
  • #67
TheStatutoryApe said:
So then this is/was about her and getting her meeting? If she got it she would have just gone home and been done with it? Doesn't sound like she's terribly dedicated to a cause really. The things it seems that hurt her position in some people's eyes is that she comes off as selfish and self promoting. She doesn't seem to give much reason to believe otherwise.
Since she did have a kid die, as pattylou said, she gets a free pass on irrational and selfish behavior. I find no fault in anything she did.

What I do fault in is those who exploited her and co-opted her grief for their own benefit.
 
  • #68
edward said:
No but he sent him to die for oil.



There is no draft, hasn't been one for years.



He was a mechanic, he did not have a combat MOS.



Have you talked to a recruiter lately?



He sacrificed his life so you can buy gasoline.



Even as a mechanic he had no choice but to go.



Do you understand?



What do you know about losing a son in a war that is about oil??

i don't want to hear your war for oil bull****.

even if he was a mechanic, they still teach him how to kill in basic.

actually, yes, and you aren't conned into it. there actually are a lot of benefits one can get for signing up. i think it is you who needs to be enlightened.

again, sick of the oil bull.
 
  • #69
Should Bush meet with Cindy Sheehan?

Not at the moment, he needs to be in New Orleans.

Perhaps later. I think Bush should personally meet with all the families whose sons and daughters were killed or severely wounded.

He made the decision - he put them in harms way.
 
  • #70
pattylou said:
It wasn't about a cause, no. It was about her screaming "Why did my kid die?!"

That a movement has grown out of it probably makes her think she now has a reason, in retrospect, for why her kid died.

You can say it's nuts, if you want, but that's how it goes. When your kid dies, you feel like you're facing a mountain that you have to tunnel through, and your only tool is a spoon.

Was it selfish? In the sense that she is surviving one day at a time, any way she can, sure. Was it also selfless? In the sense that she feels the way she does because of her love for her child, with whom mothers are completely tied up as a matter of course, yes - it was also selfless.
Yep - you obviously know what you are talking about, pattylou. Boy, they would *not* like to see what huge movements I would mobilise against them if they killed *my* son in their imperialist war! No, surely they would not want to unleash that demon. But I have taught my son well, and unless there is conscription...
 
  • #71
edward said:
No but he sent him to die for oil.
Quite!
edward said:
Have you talked to a recruiter lately?
Excellent point, edward!
edward said:
He sacrificed his life so you can buy gasoline.
...at higher prices, so that those who own the oil companies (and now control the price of oil) can make higher profits.
edward said:
Do you understand?
Hmm, I suspect we have some very effective blinkers on... so, hmmm, probably not, edward (so sad, isn't it?)
edward said:
What do you know about losing a son in a war that is about oil??
Yes, good question. Answer it, you gung-ho guys who are *so* in favour of this 'war'! What *do* you know about losing your son for this reason, huh?
 
  • #72
Astronuc said:
Should Bush meet with Cindy Sheehan?

Not at the moment, he needs to be in New Orleans.

Perhaps later. I think Bush should personally meet with all the families whose sons and daughters were killed or severely wounded.

He made the decision - he put them in harms way.
he meets with them in group sessions.
 

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