More on Cindy Sheehan and Israel
Cindy Sheehan offered some additional detail about the alleged email to Nightline in her DailyKos diary entry today: Vigils.
Another thing is that the Israel thing has not died. I did not say that my son died for Israel. I have never said it, I don?t think it, I don?t believe it. It is just another lie, smear tactic from the right. It needs to die right now. It?s not the truth. I stand by everything that I have said. But I will not stand by things that I haven?t said. I am not anti-Semitic. I am just anti-killing. George Bush is responsible for killing so many people, but nobody scrutinizes anything he says, especially leading up to the war. Since there is nothing to smear me about with the truth, they have to tell lies. A former friend who is anti-Israel and wants to use the spotlight on me to push his anti-Semitism is telling everyone who is listening that I believe that Casey died for Israel and has gone so far as to apparently doctor an email from me. People have to know that he doesn?t speak for me. ABC Nightline can?t confirm his email is real and therefore any reporting on it is irresponsible. That is not my issue. That is not my message and anyone who knows me knows it doesn?t sound like me.
I’m focused on my mission in Crawford: to meet with the President and demand answers. That?s it. I have spent enough time on that. Enough is enough.
Later in the same entry she includes a letter allegedly from Rabbi Arthur Waskow, vouching for her and bolstering her version of events.
As I was saying to Janus/Onan in Ishar earlier today, I feel like I’m perfectly poised between skepticism and credulity on this one. Both explanations (that she’s telling the truth, and the person who forwarded her email to Nightline doctored it to inject an anti-Israel screed; or that she’s spinning about a statement she actually made, but now realizes could undercut her efectiveness) seem pretty much equally plausible to me.
Which means, of course, that both the pro- and anti-Cindy people will be confident that the facts support their position, with at least one of those groups being wrong.
I’m really curious which one it is.
Update: Stephen Spruiell on National Review Online (which it must be said is only a step or two above places like FreeRepublic.com in my personal trustworthiness scale) says he has some information that would tend to undercut Cindy’s “my ex-friend doctored it” explanation: Sheehan herself sent “Israel” letter to friend.
Of course, this is the beauty of the right-wing echo chamber: Even if Cindy’s version of events is perfectly true, this kind of stuff will predictably succeed in changing the subject and distracting people from her actual message. Whereas if she is trying to spin away earlier statements she actually made, they just get to push it that much harder.
It’s the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth all over again.
Later update: MSNBC: Antiwar mom leaving camp to aid ailing mother. Cindy’s mother is in the emergency room in Los Angeles after a stroke, apparently, and she’s left the camp to be with her. Ymatt’s instantaneous comment:
Yserbius . o O ( rove killed mrs. sheehan! )
Let the conspiracy theorists commence theorizing!
August 18th, 2005 at 3:47 pm
I’d like to point out that the little “. o O ( something )” construct is supposed to be a thought balloon, typically used for deep, deep sarcasm. In reality, I think Rove is a spineless wuss who doesn’t have the nerve to mess with Cindy’s mom.
August 19th, 2005 at 11:57 am
I think this Peace Movement thing is going to start gaining more traction. With the way the majority of Americans are suddenly realizing whats going on in Iraq, no amount of right wing propaganda is going to stop it.
You just have to listen to Cindy speak and look in her eyes and you can see her sincereity and feel her pain. Even though she left to go be with her ailing mother, the movement remains.
The time has come…
August 24th, 2005 at 5:35 pm
cindy has dishonored her sons service and needs to spend time with her family she has left. Why has her family denounced her anti war stance. using her sons memory for this is so sad. he did join on his on with out being drafted. GO HOME CINDY WE ARE NOT BUYING IT
August 25th, 2005 at 7:27 am
Actually she did go home 2 weeks ago to be with her ill mother. And her son did sign up, to defend America. Not to participate in wars of choice to make Haliburton and Bush/Cheney’s other rich friends, more rich.
“Stay the course” – WTF does that mean!?!
August 25th, 2005 at 9:29 pm
I’m sorry, I know this is a bit off tangent, but: Why does any expression of cynicism about Israel immediately get branded as “anti-semitism”? Are the policies and political leaders of Israel 100% infallible? Are they 100% free from ulterior motives?
Does a single unkind word about the politics of the nation of Israel automatically mean that the speaker is a racial bigot against the Jewish religion, or racially bigoted against anyone ‘ethnically/racially’ Jewish?
It makes about as much sense as hearing your friend say something about China, and you immediately assuming that he doesn’t like egg rolls.
August 30th, 2005 at 12:40 pm
Wow, something kinda touching happend today…
t r u t h o u t
Monday 29 August 2005
8:48 PM
A beautiful moment just happened at Camp Casey I. There was a candle light vigil honoring troops who have died in Iraq. The counter protesters came across the street and joined the vigilers at Camp Casey, They shared the flag and prayed together for the families on both sides who have lost loved ones in the war. They are now singing and holding candles together. This is a testament to the power of this movement…