Posted on 07/05/2006 4:50:47 PM PDT by governsleastgovernsbest
by Mark Finkelstein
July 5, 2006
As James Taranto suggested Monday in his WSJ 'Best of the Web' column, at some point you *can* question a person's patriotism. Cindy Sheehan surely passed that point long ago. But just in case there was any doubt, Sheehan made things clear this evening, flatly stating that she'd rather live under Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez than George Bush.
Sheehan made her comments during a Hardball appearance, during which guest host Norah O'Donnell, sitting in for Chris Matthews, gave her a surprisingly rough ride. At one point, O'Donnell asked: "Why go stand by side by Hugo Chavez in Venezuela? Why do that? Would you rather live under him than George Bush?
Sheehan: "Yes. Hugo Chavez is not a dictator like you introduced him. He's been democratically elected eight times. He is not anti-American, he has helped the poor people of America. He has sent aid to New Orleans, he has sold heating oil to disadvantaged people in America at low cost, and the people of his country love him."
The exchange over Chavez capped a rugged line of questioning to which O'Donnell subjected Sheehan. Other excerpts:
O'Donnell: "Americans may hate the war but they don't necessarily hate the president. How do you expect to get change by going around the world and trashing the President of the United States?"
Sheehan: "I don't hate the president either, and I don't trash the president. I trash the president's foreign policy."
O'Donnell: "But you called him the biggest terrorist in the world, so you are trashing the president."
Sheehan: "Well he says a terrorist is somebody that kills innocent men, women and children."
O'Donnell: "You have just begun a two-month hunger strike. Isn't this really just more of a publicity stunt?"
Norah later observed: "You claim not to be in the fringes, not to be an extremist." She then challenged Sheehan to name members of Congress who support her call for immediate withdrawal from Iraq.
Sheehan claimed bi-partisan support, citing Republican congressmen Ron Paul and Walter Jones, and on the Dem side Charley Rangel and John Conyers.
When Sheehan mentioned John Kerry as an example of senatorial support, O'Donnell shot back: "the bill Sen. Kerry has proposed went down in flames in the Senate."
Continued O'Donnell: "What you're calling for is in fact an extreme position. There are very few members of congress who support immediate withdrawal. You would, if you could, fly a bunch of planes over there, pick up all our troops, and take them home tomorrow."
Sheehan claimed there is an "Out of Iraq Caucus" in congress with 70 members calling for an immediate withdrawal.
In any case, an interesting exchange. Sudden surge of hawkishness from Norah, or perhaps a subliminal suggestion to Dems, as a matter of electoral strategy, not to associate themselves with Sheehan?
MikeA wrote:
> I really would love if someone on FR got up a donation campaign among Freepers to buy Cindy a one way ticket to Venezuela <
Hey, let's have a bake sale!
[Maybe Limbaugh would participate, as in Dan's Bake Sale!]
Because Sheehan, with her insane rantings on cut-and-run and how Pres. Bush is a terrorist, is making the dem party look even loonier and more cowardly than ever, and Nora knows it. Let's not send Sheehan to Chavez; let's keep her right here, spewing her craziness on every single media outlet that'll have her, and keeping the leftist looney wing of the dem party right squarely in the public eye.
I'll have two slices of toast, dry..
I have some air miles I will donate. Bye-Bye, Bye-bye!
I've seen refrigerator bulbs brighter than Sheehan.
In this case, since the majority of the country is poor and indigenous, Chavez probably is democratically elected. That's the downside of democracy: the majority gets what it wants. In this case, Chavez bamboozles them by the building of roads, schools, clinics, demanding more compensation to the country from oil companies, and land reform, etc. Unfortunately, the poor see some benefit for themselves in all this, and they continue to support this guy.
Though I thought Odonnell did a reasonable job in questioning Sheehan, I alway felt she was trying to lead Sheehan to say, "Hey, Cindy, you are making us look bad, so why go stand with Chavez?"
"I've seen refrigerator bulbs brighter than Sheehan."
Even when the door is closed.
I'll put in a dollar for a one way to Somalia. Rotten old B*tch.
Another useful idiot who has outlived her purpose to the Dems... being thrown overboard.
Cindy picked the wrong battle when she criticized Hillary.
Another thing the MSM will have to answer for is their providing a platform to totally obtuse people. I mean, they'll search far and wide for a military guy who hates Bush and wants to come home and give them plenty of air time, but ignore the 99.9% of people who support what we are doing. It is not working anymore. Folks assume that anyone they put on their show is the exception and not the rule.
Noro O'Donnel retorted with....Saddam Hussein was democratically elected too.
Nora was definitely NOT on the side of the ditch witch.
Like all liberals she is a coward.
Cindy Sheehan is the face, heart and soul of the Democrat Party, and we should let every American voter know it!!! We should fashion a picture video of Sheehan in the middle, that vermin of a human being Jack Murtha on one side and the CBC Black Racist, America Hater, John Conyers on the other. Would make a great political ad showing the American people the traitors of the Democrat Party!!!
I thought she was living "under" Jesse Jackson.
Why is Sheehan still here? Is she being held in America against her will?
And I knew you knew that and couldn't disappoint ;-)
Can you imagine what Coulter could do with the Shehag!
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