The Anchoress

I hate to use that word, but this witness, who met the president at the same time Cindy Sheehan met him, suggests that Mrs. Sheehan is not telling the truth regarding her first meeting with President Bush, during which, she has lately said, he was “jovial” and acting like he was at a party:

I have an e-mail from Jim Krause, whose brother Elmer was killed in Iraq at the same time as Casey Sheehan. Cindy Sheehan was with Mr. Krause at Fort Lewis, Washington when President Bush joined them in the chapel.

If this witness is to be believed, this will make twice now, that the story about Mrs. Sheehan is not quite right. First her own vastly different demeanor from last year and then the change in stories about Bush’s comportment when she met with him last year. Credibility can’t be upheld if stories continually change. More troublingly, if there were witnesses to her meeting with Bush, why would she so drastically change her story? Does she not understand that there are others out there who could call her on it? That’s really bothering me…it tells me her reason is not right.

It also seems Mrs. Sheehan is making a habit of running around with folks who hang soldiers in effigy (same piece). I can’t imagine she would have supported such a thing while her beloved son was still alive. I simply can’t imagine that any soldier’s mother would stand for it.

As we have been saying, grief can transform us negatively or positively. I have certainly wanted (and tried) to give Mrs. Sheehan the benefit of a doubt…but…if she is lying, making things up out of whole cloth and exploiting her own son’s death…well…that’s very troubling. Very troubling, indeed. We seem to be witnessing something I’d frankly rather not: a grieving woman who has been manipulated into exploiting her own dead son. It’s…this is just awful. It’s like watching a break-down live and in real time. I am going to pray for Mrs. Sheehan, for the help of her broken heart, and I’m going to pray even more for the President she is lashing out at, and trying to destroy, in her pain.

I agree with Jeanette when she says: I’m so sorry any person has had to die in war, but I don’t believe President Bush lightly sent our men and women to die.

Frankly, I don’t think any reasonable person, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian or otherwise can believe that the president is counting his soldiers lives cheaply, or that he does not grieve. The problem is, of course, his grief can never equal the grief of a parent. But one cannot expect that, either.

Protein Wisdom says it differently than I do, but he makes some valid points about how ludicrous it would be to expect Roosevelt and Truman to make door-to-door apologies for the losses in their non-volunteer forces.

UPDATE: A reader has kindly sent me this article, which more clearly states that Mrs. Sheehan did have reservations about the war, even when she met President Bush the first time, and so it deserves to be noted. From her remarks in this piece, though, it is hard for me to believe that her actions lately would not grieve her son. Moreover, while “bring the troops home” sounds nice, it’s completely unfeasible, unless you want all 1800 troop deaths to be rendered utterly meaningless when Iraq falls into chaos and tyranny.

UPDATE: I don’t like this situation - at all - it’s giving me a very bad vibe. I do not see how this can end well, not for Mrs. Sheehan, not for President Bush, and not for America. This is manic hatred, exploiting and manipulating the sacredness of a mother’s love, and something that out of control has no force behind it but the force of destruction. No good can come of this.

I once knew a police officer who told me that whenever he had to deal with a domestic violence problem, or a hostage type situation, where he would have to mediate, he would ask Jesus to stand between him and the perp. I have taken his advice a few times in my life, when angry confrontations evolve, and have asked Jesus to stand between the combatants. He never fails.

I urge those readers of mine who are praying people to pray for everyone involved in this situation, particularly Mrs. Sheehan and President Bush. While you are praying, please ask Jesus to stand between them.

H/T Michelle Malkin.