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Issues & Insights
Grief And Politics
Published on Monday, August 15, 2005

Protest: How much media attention does Cindy Sheehan deserve? Only as much as compassion requires, which at this point is none at all.

But of course, Sheehan is no ordinary grieving parent. She has stepped out of a private role — that of the mother of a son killed in Iraq — to very public (and willing) stardom in political theater. She's an actor now, and should be judged accordingly.

We say this not to minimize her grief. Every parent fears losing a child, and those who have been fortunate to avoid such tragedy can only imagine what Sheehan went through. At the same time, grief is something to be endured, not exploited.

Those who use it to push their agendas end up cheapening it. A mother's grief becomes just one more emotional lever to manipulate the media and the public. That's where compassion ends and cynicism properly starts.

At this writing, Sheehan was stationed outside President Bush's Crawford, Texas, ranch, vowing either to get a one-on-one with Bush, to stay until the end of August or to get dragged away by the police. A few Angry Left stalwarts have joined her, and the media have swarmed over this little encampment as if it were the 1960s all over again. The Bush-haters can hardly hide their glee at finding a sympathetic front-woman.

"She is the kind of unexpected leader I've been writing about for years," exults Arianna Huffington.

In short, Sheehan's story is no longer about grief. It's just another agitprop show. Sheehan herself has gone off the rails in her public comments, accusing Bush of starting the Iraq War "to make his buddies rich" and saying that the Internet and its bloggers are the only things preventing America from becoming a "a fascist state."

She and those around her have become what one might call "perimeter people." They tend to be on the perimeter of politics and are often found just outside the president's security zone. They hold extreme views and make it their mission to get on camera and in the president's face.

They've been around at least since the 1980s, when homeless advocates turned part of Lafayette Park across from the White House into a shantytown. Usually they get brief notice and little else.

But not this time. Cindy Sheehan is prime-time material, despite her fringe politics, and we doubt if authentic sympathy for a mother's plight is the reason. More likely, she's on camera because she serves the needs of a press establishment that dislikes the president and wants to see him as made uncomfortable as possible.

If sympathy were still the order of the day, the media would be leaving Sheehan alone to work through her sorrow. They would not be subjecting her to public exposure and embarrassment, even if she seeks it.

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Cindy Sheehan: "I would say, 'What is the noble cause my son died for?' And I would say if the cause is so noble has he encouraged his daughters to enlist? And I would be asking him to quit using Casey's sacrifice to justify continued killing, and to use Casey's sacrifice to promote peace."

Dozens of people have joined her and others have sent flowers and food. Other "Camp Casey" demonstrations and vigils are springing up around the country, with signs calling on Bush to "Talk To Cindy." Activists in San Francisco rallied on her behalf Friday; others planned to gather Monday in New York's Union Square.

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As a child in Bellflower, about 20 miles south of Los Angeles, Sheehan was opinionated, but not outspoken, says her sister, Dede Miller.

"She was an earth mother, a very devoted mom," said Miller.

The stress of Casey's death prompted Sheehan and her husband to separate, she said.

snip

"My whole family would rather I was home more than gone," she said. "Some people have tried to discourage me from doing what I'm doing but I can't be discouraged, I can't be stopped because I know what I'm doing is so important. It's a matter of life or death."