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Sheehan "Single-Handedly Bringing Iraq Debate to Bush's Doorstep"
Media Research Center-Cyber Alert ^ | 8/15/05 | Cyber Alert-Tracking Liberal Media Bias

Posted on 08/15/2005 7:26:16 PM PDT by Embraer2004

NBC Nightly News on Sunday devoted its "In Depth" segment to Bush-hater Cindy Sheehan's impact, as anchor David Gregory touted how she "has become both a magnet and a source of controversy in the President's hometown, single-handedly bringing the Iraq debate to Mr. Bush's doorstep." Reporter Kelly O'Donnell began with how "she's tiny Crawford's biggest draw. This woman said she drove 900 miles from Denver, compelled by Cindy's story." Earlier, filling in for Tim Russert on Meet the Press, Andrea Mitchell blamed Bush's communications team for what the news media has really done: "How did they let this one woman become the symbol for the entire anti-war movement?" Mitchell added: "It certainly doesn't help when you see the videotape of the motorcade rushing past the protesters on their way to a Republican fund-raiser at a neighboring ranch." On Saturday's World News Tonight on ABC, anchor Bob Woodruff introduced a story by trumpeting how Sheehan's "vigil for her son, killed in Iraq, has given new life to the anti-war movement and a place in Crawford called the 'Peace House.'"

Full rundowns of the Sunday, August 14 NBC coverage:

# NBC Nightly News. Anchor David Gregory: "NBC News 'In Depth' tonight. Anti-war protesters in this country have witnessed the emergence of a new spokeswoman this week. Cindy Sheehan whose son Casey was killed in Iraq, has become both a magnet and a source of controversy in the President's hometown, single-handedly bringing the Iraq debate to Mr. Bush's doorstep. NBC's White House correspondent Kelly O'Donnell tonight 'In Depth.'"

O'Donnell, over video of people crowding around Sheehan: "This what sudden fame, or some would say sudden notoriety looks like. Her sone killed in war, her cause to speak out against it. Cindy Sheehan has quickly become a lightning rod." Sheehan: "I had no idea it would turn out like this. No idea." O'Donnell: "This weekend, she's tiny Crawford's biggest draw. This woman said she drove 900 miles from Denver, compelled by Cindy's story." Woman: "I have a great deal of empathy for her. If nothing else, Cindy does deserves answers." O'Donnell: "Empathy delivered in food as well. Iraqis living in the U.S. prepared traditional dishes for her today. She had critics who support the President's Iraq policy trek to her camp site too. Gary Coles [name?] calls lost his son, a Marine in Fallujah last November." Coles: "She needs to have more respect for our country, our people and yet alone President Bush." O'Donnell: "Heated moments have been few. But some Crawford residents have had enough of crowds and chaos. One Bush neighbor, who leases access to his ranch to NBC News, fired his shotgun in the air today in what appeared to be frustration. The Secret Service came by to talk to him, but rancher Larry Matlidge [sp?] broke no law." Matlidge, on dirt road: "If you had your brother-in-law in your house for five days, wouldn't it start stinking after a while? You're ready for him to go home, won't you." O'Donnell: "Many demonstrators on both sides have tried to keep calm." Woman: "Blessed are the peace-makers." O'Donnell: "Today, a prayer vigil. Political analysts say the President is stuck: Refusing to meet Sheehan a second time may look bad while giving in to her could open a floodgate of similar demands." Charlie Cook: "This is getting pretty ugly for him and there's really no, politically no way out right now." O'Donnell concluded: "The President has nearly three more weeks in Crawford, but no more scheduled events for several days. That may give Mr. Bush some needed distance. But Cindy Sheehan vows to stay right here. Kelly O'Donnell, NBC News, Crawford."

# Meet the Press. Andrea Mitchell with Washington Post columnist, and former New York Times reporter, E.J. Dionne, as well as Byron York of the National Review: "Well, the President goes on vacation and he goes down to Crawford, and look at what he encounters. Some vacation. He's got anti-war protesters on his doorstep and, of course, this woman, whose son died so tragically, Cindy Sheehan. Let's take a look at this recent ad that she prepared, and the people around her now, the political movement around her, prepared this ad for local television down in Texas."

NBC played the 30-second Gold Star Families for Peace Ad, with Sheehan, in full: "Mr. President, my name is Cindy Sheehan. On April 4th, 2004, my son Casey was killed in Iraq. Mr. President, I want to tell you face-to-face how much this hurts. I love my country. But how many more of our loved ones need to die in this senseless war? How many more soldiers have to die before we say 'Enough'? I know you can't bring Casey back, but it is time to admit mistakes and bring our troops home now."

Mitchell: "E.J., Mrs. Sheehan, for all of her suffering, has she now become part of a political movement? And is this an unfair approach to the President?" Dionne: "Well, I don't think it's unfair. In fact, I am still surprised that the president, when she first went down there, didn't say, 'Come on in. Talk to me.' He can be a very charming guy. And instead, he's let her sit out there. The fact is, that one mother who lost a loved one is more effective than 200,000 demonstrators or God knows how many politicians or commentators." Mitchell: "Now, he did meet with her once. He met with her during a meeting in Seattle, I believe." Dionne: "Right. But to have her, when she went down there and said, 'I want to talk to you' -- there are a lot of Americans who have doubts about this war, including people who may still want to support it. Things aren't going well over there. The polls show that the country has a lot more doubts now than it did six months ago. It seems to me that it would be a good idea, and perfectly legitimate, for the President to say, 'Come on in, let me talk to you.' He wouldn't persuade her, but I think he would show a lot of Americans that, yes, he understands, a lot of people, including people with kids over there, have doubts about the war." Mitchell: "Byron York, it does seem a little ham-handed, politically. This is the crowd that's supposed to be so smart politically. How did they let this one woman become the symbol for the entire anti-war movement?" York bought up some of Sheehan's extreme views which most of the media have ignored: "Well, the White House points out that the President has met personally with hundreds of family members of servicemen and women killed in the war. But this has become a very political event. The White House has to deal with her very sensitively because she did suffer this terrible loss, and her son did die in service to the United States. So they, she has standing to be doing what she's doing. On the other hand, the White House knows that the only person who can really damage her credibility is Cindy Sheehan herself. She took part in a conference call I think on Wednesday, which I listened to. It was moderated by Joe Trippi, the Democratic strategist, and another Democratic strategist, Bob Fertig, of a Web site called-" Mitchell: "This was a conference call with bloggers. So she was setting off another storm about-" York: "-of a site called Democrats.com. And she said, she thanked her anti-war bloggers for all their support. She said, 'Thank God for the Internet. Without it, we'd already be a fascist state because one party controls everything, and the mainstream media is the propaganda tool of the government.' Now, this is the kind of rhetoric that you normally associate with fringe elements on the left. And if she does more of that, I think she'll diminish her own credibility." Dionne: "But the point is that she has still started this out as a mother of a son who served the country. And I think that any kind of attack against her has the potential of backfiring because she did suffer this loss, regardless of what she says." Mitchell: "And it certainly doesn't help when you see the videotape of the motorcade rushing past the protesters on their way to a Republican fund-raiser at a neighboring ranch. That's not great PR."


TOPICS: News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: alqaeda; antisemite; cindysheehan; enemywithin; iraqtheateroperation; islamofacist; jewbaiter; mrc; news; usefulidiot
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To: carlr
A goat,slathering from rabies and a terminal case of mange protesting the War on Terror would have gotten the MSMs undying love and devotion

You shouldn't tak about Mrs. Sheehan that way, she is a grieving mother!  As you can plainly see by the picture above.

21 posted on 08/15/2005 7:56:24 PM PDT by softwarecreator (Facts are to liberals as holy water is to vampires)
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To: Embraer2004

Only the msm thinks this - this woman is unattractive, whiney, her son volunteered TWICE, she's apparently willing to sacrifice the rest of her family instead of virtually hovering around her surviving children - IOW, her story is NOT compelling.


22 posted on 08/15/2005 7:56:31 PM PDT by Let's Roll ( "Congressmen who ... undermine the military ... should be arrested, exiled or hanged" - A. Lincoln)
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To: Embraer2004
I wonder why the ACLU hasn't made her remove all the roadside crosses... I also hope the police make her clean up her trash before she leaves or arrest her for littering.
23 posted on 08/15/2005 7:58:16 PM PDT by Echo Talon (http://echotalon.blogspot.com)
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To: Dr.Hilarious

The choice of Martha's Vineyard, late as it was, seems in retrospect to have been inspired. It may be the one place in America Mr. Clinton could go without any danger of running into anti-tax protestors, anti-abortion protestors, or anti-gay protestors. The Vineyard is a redoubt of Sixties liberalism; even the island's one radio station plays mostly the music of that era. The waitress-pardon me, waitperson-who attended the President and his party at the fabled Black Dog Tavern said she had marched on Washington but had never before met a President. She was thrilled. So was nearly everybody else, to judge by the myriad of welcome signs posted all over the place. The only message that had even a faintly discouraging word was nailed to a tree along one of the island's by ways. "Bill," it said, "we know you're trying."


http://64.233.187.104/search?q=cache:IKqgf9Ge604J:www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1282/is_n18_v45/ai_14657333+clinton+vacations+in+Martha%27s+Vineyard&hl=en


24 posted on 08/15/2005 7:58:18 PM PDT by Howlin
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To: Nighthaven

That photo says it all. This dame is on a leftist media stunt.


25 posted on 08/15/2005 7:58:34 PM PDT by M. Espinola (Freedom is never free)
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To: Embraer2004
Once again the Dinosaur Media proves our point about their irrelevance. Sheean is a DIASTER for the Left. She is The more she talkes, the more wacko she makes the Dinosaur Media look for taking her serious
26 posted on 08/15/2005 7:59:16 PM PDT by MNJohnnie ( Brick by brick, stone by stone, the Revolution grows)
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To: Let's Roll
Only the msm thinks this - this woman is unattractive

Did you notice that ALL libbies seem to look the same?  They all have that twisted feature like they are smelling something really nasty at the time the picture is taken and have a bad case of premature wrinking.  Could they be born with that look or does it come with perpetual whining?

27 posted on 08/15/2005 8:01:44 PM PDT by softwarecreator (Facts are to liberals as holy water is to vampires)
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To: Dr.Hilarious

August 03, 2005
Presidential Vacation
It seems like every year since Bush took office whenever he goes on his August vacation, the media dwells on his time away from the White House as if Bush is just sitting on a beach, sipping pina coladas all day and getting a tan, ignoring the problems facing the country.

I remember things being different during the Clinton years... The media seemed to delight itself talking about the Clinton's vacation time, amused over how the President would unwind. It didn't seem to bother anyone that Clinton could not be bothered with national security issues while on the golf course. No one seems to mind that Congress is out of session for August recess either...

The left and the media (am I being redundant?) seem to act as if Bush is completely out of touch with his responsibilities as President and Commander-In-Chief when he is on these so-called "vacations." However, as The Washington Post reports, while on these vacations, "Bush continues to receive daily national security briefings, sign documents, hold teleconferences with aides and military commanders, and even meet with foreign leaders. And from the president's point of view, the long Texas stints are the best way to clear his mind and reconnect with everyday America."

Still, the media loves to focus on how much "vacation" time President Bush takes...

Until now, probably no modern president was a more famous vacationer than Ronald Reagan, who loved spending time at his ranch in Santa Barbara, Calif. According to an Associated Press count, Reagan spent all or part of 335 days in Santa Barbara over his eight-year presidency -- a total that Bush will surpass this month in Crawford with 3 1/2 years left in his second term.
"The Oval Office is wherever the president of the United States is," said Kenneth M. Duberstein, who was Reagan's last White House chief of staff. "With the communications being what they are, the president can communicate instantly with whomever he wants anywhere in the world."


Whether in the White House, overseas, or at his ranch in Crawford, President Bush is the President and Commander-In-Chief at all times.


28 posted on 08/15/2005 8:02:03 PM PDT by Howlin
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To: MNJohnnie
Sheean is a DIASTER for the Left

And a disaster too!  =)

29 posted on 08/15/2005 8:02:36 PM PDT by softwarecreator (Facts are to liberals as holy water is to vampires)
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To: Zacs Mom
And, now, her husband's dumping her because she's a candidate for psychiatric incarceration.

Good for the old man.

30 posted on 08/15/2005 8:05:06 PM PDT by Thumper1960 ("It is true that liberty is precious; so precious that it must be carefully rationed."-V.I.Lenin)
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To: softwarecreator
Sheean is a DIASTER for the Left
And a disaster too! =)


HAAAA. Think I will get a tattoo on the back of my hands. "Spell check is your friend".
31 posted on 08/15/2005 8:06:05 PM PDT by MNJohnnie ( Brick by brick, stone by stone, the Revolution grows)
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To: MNJohnnie

Yep, she lost her son and lost her mind long ago. Like was said above it won't be long and her liberal friends will abandon her. Her family is already disgusted. Her husband has had enough and filed for divorce. I would say in about two weeks her world will come unglued.


32 posted on 08/15/2005 8:08:25 PM PDT by Parley Baer
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To: Embraer2004

Cindy Sheehan didn't do anything 'singlehandedly'. This was created, choreographed, written, produced, not to mention paid for by the Leftist hordes.


33 posted on 08/15/2005 8:09:54 PM PDT by hershey
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To: Embraer2004

The looney left is IGNORANT of rural America....they invade the easement on the the private property of rural Texan, make fun of him on national TV, take dumps in 5 gallon buckets in his front yard.....

That reallly is a good way to endear themselves to red staters..(sarcasm)

I live close to Crawford...they already HATE the looney leftonazis as it is.....the longer those yahoos stay on that guys property, the worse they look in the eyes of rural redstaters like me...


34 posted on 08/15/2005 8:10:10 PM PDT by fahraint
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To: MNJohnnie
Think I will get a tattoo on the back of my hands. "Spell check is your friend".

Not a bad idea.  I've made enough spelling errors on these posts myself!!

35 posted on 08/15/2005 8:10:43 PM PDT by softwarecreator (Facts are to liberals as holy water is to vampires)
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To: Dr.Hilarious
Vacation? Bill and Hillary spent 100's of millions of dollars on all their "road trips". Oh, and here is a picture of them on vacation. Please grab your barf bag:


36 posted on 08/15/2005 8:11:40 PM PDT by isthisnickcool (Get all the incumbents out of politics!)
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To: fahraint
That reallly is a good way to endear themselves to red staters..

No kidding.  You would think these idiots would eventually get it.  These media stunts are so see thru it's pathetic.  The only ones paying attention are the ones that are already in their corner.  It didn't work with Nick Berg's dad and it's not working now.  By fall we'll all be asking .. "Cindy who"?

37 posted on 08/15/2005 8:13:48 PM PDT by softwarecreator (Facts are to liberals as holy water is to vampires)
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To: isthisnickcool

Why is Bill taking on a sumo wrestler?


38 posted on 08/15/2005 8:14:51 PM PDT by softwarecreator (Facts are to liberals as holy water is to vampires)
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To: Embraer2004
And it will change nothing.
She has no value other than to stroke the ego of the wounded Left.
39 posted on 08/15/2005 8:18:30 PM PDT by msnimje
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To: Embraer2004
Image hosted by Photobucket.com Sheehan single-handedly exposes the LameStreamMedia for the Leftist Presstitutes that they are...
40 posted on 08/15/2005 8:21:18 PM PDT by Chode (American Hedonist ©®)
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