True Colours

Let it go on the record that right-wing smear tactics have forced Cindy Sheehan to defend herself against lies:

My divorce was in the works way before I came out to Crawford. My husband filed the papers before this all started. It just recorded last Friday. My husband didn’t know that it would become public record, and public knowledge. He had told his lawyer not to serve me with the paperwork or even bother me while I was at Camp Casey. He was trying to do the right thing. He didn’t want me to find out. Enough about that.

Another “big deal” today was the lie that I had said that Casey died for Israel. I never said that, I never wrote that. I had supposedly said it in a letter that I wrote to Ted Koppel’s producer in March. I wrote the letter because I was upset at the way Ted treated me when I appeared at a Nightline Town Hall meeting in January right after the inauguration. I felt that Ted had totally disrespected me. I wrote the letter to Ted Bettag and cc’d a copy to the person who gave me Ted’s address. I believe he changed the email and sent it out to capitalize on my new found notoriety by promoting his own agenda.

Why can't the war-mongers accept that this is just an ordinary, decent woman grieving the loss of her son? Their efforts to characterize her as an anti-Semite or a puppet of radical left wingers say much more about them than about her. Now there are even more angry, grieving parents joining the throng - will they try to slander them all?

For those of you who still trust this administration (your percentage diminishes every day), let me tell you that Chase Johnson Comley did not die to preserve your freedoms. He was not presented flowers by grateful Iraqis welcoming him as their liberator...

And more:

"Our comments are not just those of grieving parents," Paul Schroeder said in front of the couple's home. "They are based on anger, Mr. President, not grief. Anger is an honest emotion when someone's family has been violated."

With Bush still on his bike, Maureen Dowd reminds us that the Bush family insensitive penchant for mis-timed recreation goes back at least a generation. Here's Bush Snr three days after sending soldiers into the Gulf War:

"I just don't like taking questions on serious matters on my vacation," the usually good-natured Bush senior barked at reporters on the golf course. "So I hope you'll understand if I, when I'm recreating, will recreate." His hot-tempered oldest son, who was golfing with his father that day, was even more irritated. "Hey! Hey!" W. snapped at reporters asking questions on the first tee. "Can't you wait until we finish hitting, at least?"

Junior always had his priorities straight.

Remember, these are the people who campaign on "values". As their true colours come shining through, it's little wonder the polls show Bush's support down below 40% in nineteen states (and only above 50% in nine).