Arianna Huffington: It Takes a Village to Smear Cindy Sheehan

[Jack Rabbit]

EDITED to add author by-line


From The Huffington Post
Dated Friday August 12

It Takes a Village to Smear Cindy Sheehan
By Arianna Huffington

The right wing attacks on Cindy Sheehan -- desperate, pathetic, and grasping at straws -- expose much less about their target than about the attackers.

I mean, trying to slime a grieving Gold Star mom because she is inconveniently questioning the reasons her son was sent off to die in Iraq? Why that would be like trashing a much-decorated war hero or outing an undercover CIA agent…

Oh, right…

How much longer can the Bushies get away with mauling the very values they profess to stand for before their supporters start getting wise to the fact that the only value they really value is power?

Read more.

This is Arianna at her best.

[Eloriel]

1. Here's Arianna's column from yeseterday, and one by Cingy too

Both very powerful:

Cindy Sheehan (Huff Post): This is George Bush’s Accountability Moment
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=103&topic_id=146397&mesg_id=146397
Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/cindy-sheehan/this-is-george-bushas-a_5472.html



"talking with Cindy Sheehan ... was unlike any conversation I’ve ever had" (Arianna Huffington)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1695124
and: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x146383
Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/arianna-huffington/cindy-sheehan-steps-into-_5480.html



And this isn't Cindy Sheehan, but it's also quite powerful:

Keeping a son out of the Marines - a mom's post
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4326624

[IndianaGreen]

2. The rightwing is trying to swift boat Cindy Sheehan

Michelle Malkin referred to Cindy's backers as "Bush Derangement Syndrome sufferers incapable of rational debate." Considering that Ms Malkin sole purpose in life is to shut off any debate about the lies told by Bush to get us into this horrible war, she sure has a lot of chutzpah accusing the Left of the very things she is guilty of.

Excellent piece by Arianna, Jack. I particularly liked her description of the following smear, which is still being repeated by the Faux talking heads, that Sheehan's family has taken issue with her opposition to the war.

a second load of sludge was quickly dumped: the ludicrous statement from the (ahem) “Sheehan Family” condemning Cindy’s “political motivations and publicity tactics” (run under a banner headline proclaiming “Family of Fallen Soldier Pleads: Please Stop, Cindy”).

Where do I start with this piece of manufactured offal? How about the fact that no one put their names on the statement, which was “signed” by “Casey Sheehan’s grandparents, aunts, uncles and numerous cousins”. Don’t these folks have names? The only name attached to the “Sheehan Family” statement (delivered to Drudge via email with permission “to distribute as you wish”) belongs to Cherie Quartarolo who describes herself as Casey’s aunt and godmother. So did I miss something? Since when does godmother outrank mother? What I really want to know is: how does Casey’s second-cousin-twice-removed feel about Cindy’s vigil? How about his ex-brother-in-law’s cleaning lady?

[Puzzler]

3. Irrational debate?

"Michelle Malkin referred to Cindy's backers as "Bush Derangement Syndrome sufferers incapable of rational debate.""


Come on Malkin, regardless of which side you favor... "rational debate" means actually debating the issues raised... and NOT attacking the person making the argument.

It's Malkin (and her ilk) who are incapable of any form of real debate, rational or not.


-P

[Jack Rabbit]

4. They're failing at this swift-boating effort

The liberal/progressive/leftist blogosphere is fighting back this time and it's great to see. Arianna is still (as I like to describe her) a maverick conservative; whatever she is, she has a sense of fair play an despises the Bushies for their tactics even more than for their policies.

It's one thing for the Bushies to take on a career politician or even a retired diplomat who embarrassed them. Kerry should have known how to fight back; at least Joe Wilson does. But Cindy Sheehan? She's too holy to need a defense. This is the Earth Mother mourning her cut down child and she comes in the form of everybody's sister or aunt. Even people who don't agree with her about the war feel her pain and think attacking her the way the Bushies usually attack those who cross them is just out of bounds.

It is really sad that Bush's allies in the media don't feel they're loyal supporters of Bush unless they're throwing mud and manure at anybody who dissents. This time they got caught.

[Miss Chybil]

6. NOTHING - not even the King of the World - trumps a Mother.

They can't fight this, but let's hope they die trying!

[BrightKnight]

5. They are hiding behind the spin/smear machine. - n/t

[Griffy]

7. Why isnt SHE down there with Cindy... all these people profess support..

but the only people actually going there are the people! We need celebrities and politicains and leaders! I guess they are waiting to see if this grows or fizzles... I swear, is there not a leader left that will actually lead?! not just wait till we gather and then jump in front! That takes guts, being willing to lose your job or some money for whats right!

otherwise.. nice article A.H.

[slor]

8. "We need celebrities"...

Viggo Mortenson was there. Slam his fansites with email supporting him for doing this, re-rent the "Lord of the Ring" trilogy, let everyone know, that not only do you want them to get behind this, but also let them know that they need not fear getting "Dixie Chicked" and they may come.

On Edit: Arianna is showing a great deal of support, by blogging about it. Some celebrities may not want to go, to avoid any upstaging of the cause.

[slor]

9. Apologies to Mr. Mortensen...

not as I spelled "Mortenson".

[rodeodance]

10. It Takes a Village to Smear Cindy Sheehan

http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/20050812/cm_huffpost/005557

It Takes a Village to Smear Cindy Sheehan

Arianna Huffington Fri Aug 12, 7:22 PM ET

The right wing attacks on Cindy Sheehan -- desperate, pathetic, and grasping at straws -- expose much less about their target than about the attackers.

I mean, trying to slime a grieving Gold Star mom because she is inconveniently questioning the reasons her son was sent off to die in
Iraq? Why that would be like trashing a much-decorated war hero or outing an undercover
CIA agent…

Oh, right…

How much longer can the Bushies get away with mauling the very values they profess to stand for before their supporters start getting wise to the fact that the only value they really value is power?

Think about it, they’ve shown absolutely no compunction about turning the sleaze machine on an undercover agent who’d spent her career working to protect us from weapons of mass destruction, a Silver Star/Purple Heart veteran who volunteered to fight in a war the administration chickenhawks gamed the system to avoid, and now the mother of a dead soldier.

The right wing smear machine whirrs on -- using its media mouthpieces to do this dirtiest of dirty work. First it was the lie that Sheehan had, in the words of Drudge, “dramatically changed her account” of her June 2004 meeting with Bush. Despite the fact that this supposed flip-flop was a total distortion created by taking quotes out of context, the story quickly made its way into the hands of conservative bloggers… and allowed the TV jackal-pack to start tearing away at Sheehan’s flesh. For all the details on how this went down, check out Media Matters blow-by-blow description. The lowlights included Bill O’Reilly and Michelle Malkin tag-teaming up to push the idea that Sheehan’s “story hasn’t checked out”. O’Reilly also claimed Sheehan “is in bed with the radical left”, and, later suggested “this kind of behavior borders on treasonous”… and, for bad measure, tried to slime Sheehan by linking her with “people who hate this government, hate their country”.......

[rodeodance]

11. Average (591 votes) 3.7 stars (591 votes) on yahoo

Average (591 votes)

3.7 stars

[rodeodance]

12. Average (592 votes)

Average (592 votes)
3.7 stars

[Eloriel]

13. NOMINATED! n/t