In this drama of democracy, hangers-on compound mom's tragedy

A mother — an ordinary citizen — is camped out to protest against the war in Iraq, demanding an audience with the highest elected leader in the land.

Hundreds join her and face counterprotesters who support the president and his policies that led the nation into war.

Congress has adjourned for vacation. The summer doldrums have set in. The great issue before the republic is: Should he meet with her, again, or shouldn't he? The nation is watching. The world is watching.

Were this drama the only performance in Crawford, it would be all for the good. Good for a society that is so easily diverted by trivial matters. Good for our democracy. Good for American soft power and, therefore, good for its hard power.

But there is another performance taking place in Crawford, one that is an ancient and grand tragedy. It is a tragedy, first and foremost, about a mother who has lost her son.

There is no greater sign of disorder in the cosmos than the death of a child. If a child can precede his parent in death, then day does not necessarily follow night and a rainbow will not always follow the storm.

For her personal agony, Cindy Sheehan's intemperate comments about this country and its leaders and her disturbing devotion to repugnant conspiracy theories can be understood and forgiven. What cannot be forgiven is the double tragedy of interest groups and political operatives greasing Sheehan's slide into ideological hysteria and using her grief to promote their own partisan agendas.

A mother — an ordinary citizen — is camped out to protest against the war in Iraq, demanding an audience with the highest elected leader in the land.

Wonder what the reaction would be if the "Journalists" actually reported the facts for a change. The below would be much more intellectually honest.

A Mom, a life long Hard Left Political Activist, Allied with a Democratic Part front Group Moveon.org, hired PR Giant Freen Communication to stage manage her August "protest" outside President Bush's Texas ranch. The mother claims to be "grief stricken" about her son's death in combat on April 4th 2004. She is demanding a second meeting with President Bush saying her 1st meeting in July 2004 was unsatisfactory. Critics of Sheehan point out that those comments directly contradict what she said after that July meeting to a reporter for her home town newspaper. Critics also provided this reporter with pictures of MS Sheehan being kissed on the cheek by President Bush at that July meeting. Sheehan, who has abandoned her job and family to go on a quixotic protest round that included protests at most major Newspaper headquarters, had been ignored by the News Media until Moveon.org hired PR giant Freen Communications to stage manage her "protests".

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.