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The CNN story is not terribly accurate. Bev Young has not "staunchly supported the U.S.-led war in Iraq." She has spoken publicly on her concern for the damage being done to the troops there, and she is well-known among military families (especially those whose servicemembers have been wounded) as someone who supports the SERVICEMEMBERS AND THEIR FAMILIES.
She has not been an anti-war activist, either. But just because someone isn't an anti-war activist doesn't make them a "staunch supporter" of the war.
In her own way, she *may* have been trying to send the same message Cindy Sheehan was sending, but more subtly. Hardly surprising, since her husband is more conservative than she is and a Congressman as well. They are reputedly a close couple and that has doubtless meant compromises for them both in terms of how passionately and publicly they express opinions that differ from each other.
Since she hasn't issued any official statements, etc., to that effect, there is no way to know what her intentions were in selecting her attire for attending SOTU. Her husband was understandably irate that his wife was ejected, he said so, and since he's a Republican you could hardly expect him to turn it into a blanket condemnation of his own Party's Administration, leadership, etc., and take up the cudgels in Ms Sheehan's defense as well.
If the Capitol Police were more polite and deferential to a Congressman's wife (and they would have known darn well who she was, some seating is assigned,) well, can you blame them? Congresscritters' spouses DO get different treatment from people who don't have the "inside" connection, especially people who are known principally for their protests. Capitol Police probably have standing orders to do everything possible NOT to arrest Congresscritters' family members. No such orders pertaining to protesters unrelated to those same Congresscritters. Not exactly surprising, and had the situation been a well-known conservative protestor and a Democratic Congressman's wife at a SOTU being delivered by a controversial Democratic President, I would have expected more or less the same thing... assuming, that is, that the Democratic Administration had all gone looneytunes and embraced fascism and the repression of free speech and issued such orders to the Capitol Police.
(I am NOT, BTW, condoning, excusing, or apologizing for their moronic attempts to restrict Ms Sheehan's freedom of speech, and I hope to hell she whacks them with one hell of a civil rights lawsuit to that effect. I'm just saying that reality isn't always neat & tidy & black-and-white.)
patiently,
Bright
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