Posted on 08/20/2005 6:55:00 PM PDT by paulat
August 21, 2005 The Swift Boating of Cindy Sheehan By FRANK RICH
CINDY SHEEHAN couldn't have picked a more apt date to begin the vigil that ambushed a president: Aug. 6 was the fourth anniversary of that fateful 2001 Crawford vacation day when George W. Bush responded to an intelligence briefing titled "Bin Laden Determined to Attack Inside the United States" by going fishing. On this Aug. 6 the president was no less determined to shrug off bad news. Though 14 marine reservists had been killed days earlier by a roadside bomb in Haditha, his national radio address that morning made no mention of Iraq. Once again Mr. Bush was in his bubble, ensuring that he wouldn't see Ms. Sheehan coming.
[snip]
When these setbacks happen in Iraq itself, the administration punts. But when they happen at home, there's a game plan. Once Ms. Sheehan could no longer be ignored, the Swift Boating began.
[snip]
The Swift Boating is especially vicious if the critic has more battle scars than a president who connived to serve stateside and a vice president who had "other priorities" during Vietnam.
The most prominent smear victims have been Bush political opponents with heroic Vietnam résumés: John McCain, Max Cleland, John Kerry.
[snip]
True to form, the attack on Cindy Sheehan surfaced early on Fox News, where she was immediately labeled a "crackpot" by Fred Barnes. The right-wing blogosphere quickly spread tales of her divorce, her angry Republican in-laws, her supposed political flip-flops, her incendiary sloganeering and her association with known ticket-stub-carrying attendees of "Fahrenheit 9/11." Rush Limbaugh went so far as to declare that Ms. Sheehan's "story is nothing more than forged documents - there's nothing about it that's real."
[snip]
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Frank Rich is a hairy woman.
So quoting Sheehan is smearing?
BAWAHAHAHAHAHAAHA!
Whatever will Frank Rich do? And what will his poodle think?
(steely)
Say what you will about Frank Rich and the NYT, but at least they're consistent. Consistently slimey.
Let's see...heroic...jumping off one's boat to chase down an injured VC and shoot him in the back behind a hooch....heroic...lie about some secret missions that is commanding officers said never happened, and this was SEARED, SEARED in his memory. Sorry, but if you're going to tout someone's "heroic Vietnam resume" you should chose someone who has one. And, of course, Kerry followed this up by committing treason by meeting with the North Vietnamese while still in the military. This is nothing more than an effort to resuscitate a dead reputation.
Yes, don't you understand? Quoting a leftist if it would cause a leftist cause to be thwarted is smearing while quoting a conservative to discredit conservative causes is admirable.
Ratpuppet
Why doesn't Cindy say these things in front of the cameras for all to see??
Hypocrites and Liars
By Cindy Sheehan
t r u t h o u t | Letter - Saturday 20 August 2005
Why does she hide her TRUE feeling from the public and the media???
Cindy complains in that letter about the President not being Honest ..
When will Cindy be honest????
Come on Cindy ... Don't hide behind your PR Firm ... Tell as all what you REALLY think
Or are you a CHICKEN ???
bttt
You know....I love O'Neil and the Swiftees. I bet they have this huge satisfied grin everytime they hear how they got under the skins of the very types that turned against them in Vietnam.
Richie and his ilk claimed to despise the Swiftees, but in truth, they wish to replicate them. Only to do that they have to come forward of their own accord against enormous opposition and be telling the Truth.
Then you have them increasingly desperate to find an honorable war vet to denounce Bush and the war. They don't understand honorable war vets do no such thing. Not all may be in favor, but to throw medals over a fence? Stage a big showdown at the Crawford ranch? Won't happen, they have to much respect for the military and the office of the Presidency as well as their own country and those in harm's way.
Has anybody seen Frank or Maureen in the same room at the same time?
EXCELLENT points, Soul Seeker!!
Oh man, when was Cindy in Cambodia?
You don't think the Christmas of 68 do you?
I wouldn't want to out her as a spook but
just who did JF'nK cross the line with?
When you say the kind of outrageous crap Cindy Sheehan says, quotes are smears.
When you say the kind of outrageous crap Cindy Sheehan says, quotes are smears.
***Note to self: don't read Frank Rich articles unless wearing depends to protect from pi$$ing pants***
Ya know, I've never read the NY Times once in my life. It must really suck.
I think that Kerry's reputation will suffer even more this year, thanks to the way in which Cindy's effort to abandon the Iraqi children reminds people of the way Kerry abandoned the Vietnamese children.
Mother Cindy doesn't seem to care what happens to the Children of Iraq
Young victims of the attacks by Saddam and his Ba'ath forces on Halabja.
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