Cindy Sheehan Speaks Out

When the Democrats won a majority in Congress last year, I remarked that "if there was anyone who could screw-up the Democratic majority, it's the Democrats."

Having been handed the world on a silver platter and being mandated to make all the changes they deemed fit, the Democrats have done nothing.

There is no end to the war in sight, there are no articles of impeachment being discussed, there is no regulation of energy or petroleum being mentioned, nothing about global warming, reproductive rights, gay marriage, or any other social issue facing America today.

Nothing.

The Democrats have proven themselves to be as useless as the right-wing has always insisted.

I was a life-long Democrat. My family is a Union family. We are social, political and community activists. We are involved in the world. We are proud Democrats. I have broken ranks. In last November's elections I voted the Green ticket, straight down the ballot. I want the world to change and the Democrats have nothing to offer.

A twenty-something Dem activist who called my house the week before the last election, insulted me when I told him I was not voting for the Dems, and had I been wavering on that day, his pompous, insulting remarks would have pushed me right over to the Greens. Fortunately, Hillary Clinton and Chuck Schumer had already pushed me to the Greens, so I took this young man's insult in stride with all the other insults hurled at America by people in his party with much more authority.

I am watching the presidential wrangling with amusement. The Dems have put forward little worth consider supporting. All a bunch of neo-cons. Yes, including Obama, whose homophobic position on the rights of gay men is so patently insulting that he almost makes Hillary look pro-gay.

But, it's the war really, that has me most upset.

In six months of controlling Congress the Democrats have done nothing about ending the war. Nancy Pelosi, the most powerful woman in the American government, has been charged by her constituents and all other Americans with ending the war. What has she done? Had lunch with the President is about all she's done. She's done nothing. She is a useless hack. She might actually be worse than Hillary Clinton, and that is saying a lot.

Fortunately, one of America's living folk heroes is as disgusted as I am and Cindy Sheehan is discussing an election run against Pelosi and announced:

Democrats and Americans feel betrayed by the Democratic leadership. We hired them to bring an end to the war. I'm not too far from San Francisco, so it wouldn't be too big of a move for me. I would give her a run for her money.

Sheehan is correct. The Democratic leadership has betrayed America, and should be held accountable. If the government is going to continue it's right-wing move towards destroying our market-based economy, wrecking our schools, destroying our planet, and killing our children, then we might as well have the Republicans do it, because at least they are honest about their plans!

I might support Sheehan. I might send her money. Anybody would do a better job than Peolosi, because Pelosi has done nothing. Nothing!

The following AP article was published at Yahoo! and is reprinted without permission.

Sheehan considers challenge to Pelosi
By ANGELA K. BROWN, Associated Press Writer
Sun Jul 8, 7:40 PM ET

Cindy Sheehan, the soldier's mother who galvanized the anti-war movement, said Sunday that she plans to seek House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's congressional seat unless she introduces articles of impeachment against President Bush in the next two weeks.

Sheehan said she will run against the San Francisco Democrat in 2008 as an independent if Pelosi does not seek by July 23 to impeach Bush. That's when Sheehan and her supporters are to arrive in Washington, D.C., after a 13-day caravan and walking tour starting next week from the group's war protest site near Bush's Crawford ranch.

"Democrats and Americans feel betrayed by the Democratic leadership," Sheehan told The Associated Press. "We hired them to bring an end to the war. I'm not too far from San Francisco, so it wouldn't be too big of a move for me. I would give her a run for her money."

Messages left with Pelosi's staff were not immediately returned. The White House declined to comment on Sheehan's plans.

She plans her official candidacy announcement Tuesday. Sunday wrapped up what is expected to be her final weekend at the 5-acre Crawford lot that she sold to California radio talk show host Bree Walker, who plans to keep it open to protesters.

Sheehan announced in late May that she was leaving the anti-war movement. She said that she felt her efforts had been in vain and that she had endured smear tactics and hatred from the left, as well as the right. She said she wanted to change course.

She first came to Crawford in August 2005 during a Bush vacation, demanding to talk to him about the war that killed her son Casey in 2004. She became the face of the anti-war movement during her 26-day roadside vigil, which was joined by thousands. But it also drew counter-protests by Bush supporters, many who said she was hurting troop morale.

Sheehan, who has never held political office, recently said that she was leaving the Democratic Party because it "caved" in to the president. Last week, she announced her caravan to Washington, an undertaking she calls the "people's accountability movement."

"I didn't expect to be back so soon, but the focus is different than it was before," Sheehan said Sunday. "Instead of talking and making accusations, we're going into communities and talking to the people who've been hurt by the Bush regime. We're finding out how we can help people."

Sheehan, who will turn 50 on Tuesday, said Bush should be impeached because she believes he misled the public about the reasons for going to war, violated the Geneva Convention by torturing detainees, and crossed the line by commuting the prison sentence of former vice presidential aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby. She said other grounds for impeachment are the domestic spying program and the "inadequate and tragic" response to Hurricane Katrina.

Libby was convicted of lying and obstructing justice in an investigation into the leak of a CIA officer's identity.

Sheehan said she hopes Pelosi files the articles of impeachment so Sheehan can move onto her next projects, including overseas trips for humanitarian work. But if not, Sheehan said she is ready to run for office.

"I'm doing it to encourage other people to run against Congress members who aren't doing their jobs, who are beholden to special interests," Sheehan said. "She (Pelosi) let the people down who worked hard to put Democrats back in power, who we thought were our hope for change."

Pelosi was elected to the House in 1987 and became the first female speaker in January.

Sheehan said she lives in a Sacramento suburb but declined to disclose which city, citing safety reasons. The area is outside Pelosi's district, but there are no residency requirements for congressional members, according to the California secretary of state's office.

Copyright © 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

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