Harry Smith, CBS: "Is she entitled to an audience? The president is busy."

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

The President And Cindy Sheehan

NEW YORK, August 15, 2005

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/08/15/opinion/smith/main779163.shtml

So what do you think? Should President Bush take an hour out of his vacation to sit down for a chat with Cindy Sheehan?

Is she entitled to an audience? The president has visited plenty of parents. He’s visited with many wounded. But, does a woman whose politics is not aligned with his, whose view of the war is in direct opposition, does she deserve a hearing?

We know the president is busy. He’s made a number of politicking and policy trips since his vacation began. He’s been visited by Donald Rumsfeld and Condoleezza Rice. He’s also found time to go mountain biking and went to one of the regional Little League playoff games.

Meanwhile Cindy Sheehan maintains her vigil. Hers is not the voice of a celebrity or politician. It’s the voice of a woman who has sustained an injury that cannot be healed. She’s had something taken from her in a manner that in her eyes cannot be justified. The president says he’s aware of the anguish. He says Mrs. Sheehan has all the rights in the world to voice her opinion, to protest. Does she deserve an audience? Should she have the chance to have a face to face meeting, to look the president straight in the eye, to look into his heart.

[neuvocat]

1. Fine. Let him speak with other mothers then.

Their politics can agree with his and then he can still try to explain why they died for nothing.

[AntiCoup2K4]

2. BUSY? The son of a fucking bitch is on a FIVE WEEK VACATION!!!

Fuck you, Whorey Smith :puke:

[Mr Rabble]

7. No shit! What part of "5 week vacation" dont they get?

[Blue_Roses]

32. Hold on now. I think you read this wrong.

I watch the Early Show every morning and Harry Smith isn't the "whore" you think he is. This statement here:

"We know the president is busy. He’s made a number of politicking and policy trips since his vacation began. He’s been visited by Donald Rumsfeld and Condoleezza Rice. He’s also found time to go mountain biking and went to one of the regional Little League playoff games."

If that doesn't reek of :sarcasm: , I don't know what does. Harry Smith is pretty fair. Sometimes, subtlety is better than overt bitching. Harry Smith couldn't stand it when the swift boat vets began their vendetta and one morning when he was interviewing one of them he not only asked excellent questions that put the guy on the spot, but he showed his obvious annoyance with the crap they were doing.

No, I don't see this article as "anti-Cindy"...quite the contrary.


;)

[OneTwentyoNine]

3. Well hell,there's that damn Liberal media for you....

Ah well FUCK YOU HARRY!! Oh yeah,he's real busy riding his widdle bike around the ranch and cooking up burgers. GOD.....

[mcscajun]

11. I dunno...my read on Harry Smith is that he's in favor of it...not against

Cindy.

"He’s also found time to go mountain biking and went to one of the regional Little League playoff games."

In short, he should find time for something truly important.

[Contrary1]

15. My take is the same as yours...

"Should President Bush take an hour out of his vacation to sit down for a chat with Cindy Sheehan?"

He presents both sides. I don't see much bias in his aricle.

[LittleClarkie]

20. subtle sarcasm

"Hers is not the voice of a celebrity or politician"

And this line right here is why I don't want some politician going down there and "Fristing" her message, much as some folks seem to want it.

[Contrary1]

25. I agree,

this one small woman is making more waves that all the politicians put together could. She
has done in 15 days what no one else has been able to do in 67 long months...force Bush
to show his true feelings for the average citizen, and in a very public manner at that.

Not to mean that Cindy Sheehan is the average citizen. Most of us have not lost a child in
Smirk's war. I'm only sorry that more mothers who have lost a spouse, son, or daughter and
share her feelings, have not joined her at Camp Casey.

[Imagevision]

28. Bush had his chance to handle this properly and blew it

see ya'll in Washington with Cindy!

[deadparrot]

4. In any democratic form of government, public servants (ie, Bush)

work for those he/she represents.

How would an employee be judged if he went around, willfully ignoring a requested meeting with his boss?

[Fire Walk With Me]

5. All of that is obviously more important than the senseless waste of lives.

[mmonk]

6. I don't know the protocol

between kings and their subjects.

[Pithy Cherub]

8. Thank Goodness, neither does Cindy!

:evilgrin:

[WI_DEM]

9. my guess is that most of the parents he has met with of dead soldiers

believe their kids died "for a good cause" variety--I don't mean to belittle those parents because that is probably what get's them through the pain. Fortunately, Cindy (and many other military parents) understands that her son gave his life for a cause which this president forced on this country through lies and deceit--and wants to confront him on it.

[Lori Price CLG]

10. He is busy... it takes a lot of time and energy to plan a terrorist attack

(more anthrax attacks, too?) that will rival or surpass his 9/11 attacks.

Lori Price

[Lori Price CLG]

12. 'Bush_Eats_Beef' ...and mad cow disease is back!

Gee, it would be just *awful* if Bush ate a bad burger.

Lori Price

[AX10]

13. kick

[SammyWinstonJack]

14. Entitled to an audience?

:wtf: It's good to be the King! pResident 'Who Cares What You Think', needs a reminder as to who exactly pays his undeserved salary. This crap is really starting to piss me off. Busy? Not to busy to drive right past Cindy on his way to a BBQ at another rich ass repuke ranch, was he? He couldn't have left 30 minutes early to stop and speak with her? Afraid of the crowds or just doesn't give a shit?

[Quakerfriend]

16. The best part about all of this is that he has shown the

entire world what a heartless and cowardly ass he really is.

If some out there still needed convincing, he made it all crystal clear.

It's my sense, that this is truly the tipping point. We have talk about war with Iran every day now coupled with the hushed silence of the sheeples who are suddenly waking up (Thanks to Cindy's frankness!)...

What comes next??

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

18. You SAID it, my friend...

Obviously, it would be a "victory" for Cindy to have her sit-down with Bush.

But if it NEVER happens, LOOK at the WORLD-WIDE coverage this has gotten. LOOK at the human face this woman and her supporters have put on the war.

And in a very real way, Bush HAS responded...HONESTLY, for once...by saying "I'd rather ride my bike."

:toast:

[hippiegranny]

17. oh yes, SOOOOOO busy, he is.

that's right, it's hard work mountain biking, attending fundraiser barbeques and throwing out little league first pitches. i mean geez, doesn't cindy realize that is alot of activity and hard work?

[ibegurpard]

19. She sure as hell does

She represents thousands (or should I say millions?) of people who feel the same.

[Fire Walk With Me]

21. Just as entitled as the Twins are to avoid Iraq duty.

= "Completely"

[Gloria]

22. "an AUDIENCE"?? as in meeting with a SUBJECT?????

F*ck you.

[nadinbrzezinski]

23. when did we abolish the Presidency and

installed a monarchy?

[BlackVelvetElvis]

24. I'm sure most have noticed how the ranch is now

referred to as the "Western White House" by cable news. They must've gotten the memo from Rove that Bush does some actual hard work presidenting from there. It's no longer merely a vacation spot for him. Fox News even had a man on this weekend saying that LBJ spent more time on vacation than Bush.

[Cha]

29. What cracks me up is that

all these reporters just act like we're talking about someone who actually has some clothes on and isn't a puppet on a string.

[windbreeze]

26. well, Mr. Smith

They say if you look into a man's eyes, you can see into his heart/soul...perhaps, Cindy is better off, not looking into his eyes...and perhaps that's what he's most afraid of...
windbreeze

[Cha]

27. bush can't talk to Cindy because

he's a tongued-tied lying SOB who Cindy would turn into Mincemeat..and the bush handlers know it. They won't let Cindy get within 500 yards of the bumbling chimp.

[0rganism]

30. She could offer to go bicycling with him

If he has time to play bicyclist with Lance Armstrong, surely he can offer her the same courtesy? And, unlike riding with Mr. Tour de France, he might even be able to keep up with Cindy.

[gokar]

31. The Cindy Sheehan issue better not be sucking all the oxygen out of

our real issues with Bushism....such as

Taxcuts for the real wealthy,
$3 gallon gas
45 million without healthcare
Porous borders to the south depriving American citizens
of a living wage for manual labor
Environment getting worse by the day
Record budget deficits
Record trade deficits

These are the issues I believe the repuglicans are vulnerable
in 2006 and 2008. Cindy Sheehan may make us feel good because
she is embarassing the heck out of dumbya, but I doubt we gain
any fence sitter votes out of that.