Titled "Cindy Sheehan's symbolism", the
lead editorial in Friday's
Seattle Times treats the implications of Camp Casey much more intelligibly than most of the MSM.
There's a larger, perhaps more important, message in the editorial:
America's purpose in Iraq is over. The soldiers should be brought home. It can be done, as has been proven in Vietnam, Somalia and other places. When and how it is done is not Sheehan's call to make, nor should it be.
The Times editorialists recognize both Cindy's symbolism and the realities she has brought to the whole country's attention.
I urge you to read the entire editorial. It's well-written, moving, articulate. Here's a bit more to illustrate my point:
Cindy Sheehan is not a foreign-policy expert. She does not hold the key to an Iraq war exit strategy. Sheehan is a mother driven to act by the death last year of her son, Casey, who was stationed in Iraq. What Sheehan has done is use her grief to fuel a passionate, visible anti-war movement.
In the minds of many Americans, the tide of the war has turned. Sheehan didn't turn the tide. She is a symbol of the sea change. Expect this symbol to grow in significance and importance.
Whether Bush meets again with the mom standing sentinel in Crawford is not the point. The point is that the president must understand what this mom represents.
Tip of the hat to Goldy (David Goldstein) of HorsesAss for bringing this editorial to my attention.