The victims of 9/11 were the husbands of the Jersey Girls, not the women themselves. Those men died not because Osama bin Laden singled them out for execution, but on pure random chance. The offense committed on 9/11 wasn't MORE against the widows than anyone else; it was against America ... every ONE of us! That their husbands happened to be working in offices in the Trade Center that day does not endow them with any insulation from criticism.
They gave up the right to respectful silence when they voluntarily used their grief as a platform from which to criticize the administration. They are no longer private, mourning widows, but willing pawns in a partisan battle. As such, they open themselves up to the same level of criticism they bring on their opponents.
It is disingenuous and childish to hurl brickbats, then scamper off whining when one comes back at you.
Everything above is doubly true for Cindy Sheehan, whose son was a voluntary member of the Armed Services, and gave his life in a cause he believed in, even if his mother didn't.
What's "unseemly" here is the exploitation of these dupes by a conscienceless Left, and the implication that the mean-spirited Right is somehow at fault for responding in kind.
Very well stated!
My general point is this: For Ann to be most effective, she must increase her audience beyond her conservative base and she must be credible. Her special brand of trenchant, analytic commentary minus the personal rant will go far to help her achieve both.