Posted on 05/29/2007 8:25:01 AM PDT by kristinn
FORT WORTH, Texas — Cindy Sheehan, the soldier's mother who galvanized an anti-war movement with her monthlong protest outside President Bush's ranch, says she's done being the public face of the movement.
"I've been wondering why I'm killing myself and wondering why the Democrats caved in to George Bush," Sheehan told The Associated Press by phone Tuesday while driving from her property in Crawford to the airport, where she planned to return to her native California.
"I'm going home for awhile to try and be normal," she said.
In what she described as a "resignation letter," Sheehan wrote in her online diary on the "Daily Kos" blog: "Good-bye America ... you are not the country that I love and I finally realized no matter how much I sacrifice, I can't make you be that country unless you want it.
"It's up to you now."
Sheehan began a grass roots peace movement in August 2005 when she camped outside Bush's Crawford ranch for 26 days, demanding to talk with the president about her son's death. Army Spc. Casey Sheehan was 24 when he was killed in an ambush in Baghdad in 2004.
Cindy Sheehan's protest started small but swelled to thousands and quickly drew national attention. Over the next two years, she initially drew huge crowds as she spoke at protest events. But she also drew criticism for some actions, such as meeting with Hugo Chavez, Venezuela's leftist president.
"I have endured a lot of smear and hatred since Casey was killed and especially since I became the so-called "Face" of the American anti-war movement," Sheehan wrote in the diary.
Kristinn Taylor, spokesman for FreeRepublic.com, which has held pro-troop rallies and counter-protests of anti-war demonstrations, said dwindling crowds at Sheehan's Crawford protests since her initial vigil may have led to her decision. But he also said he hopes she will now be able to heal.
"Her politics have hurt a lot of people, including the troops and their families, but most of us who support the war on terror understand she is hurt very deeply," Taylor said Tuesday. "Those she got involved with in the anti-war movement realize it was to their benefit to keep her in that stage of anger."
When she had first taken on Bush, Sheehan was a darling of the liberal left. "However, when I started to hold the Democratic Party to the same standards that I held the Republican Party, support for my cause started to erode and the 'left' started labeling me with the same slurs that the right used," she wrote.
Sheehan said she had sacrificed a 29-year marriage and endured threats to put all her energy into stopping the war. What she found, she wrote, was a movement "that often puts personal egos above peace and human life."
But she said the most devastating conclusion she had reached "was that Casey did indeed die for nothing ... killed by his own country which is beholden to and run by a war machine that even controls what we think."
Sheehan told The Associated Press that she had considered leaving the peace movement since last summer while recovering from surgery.
Then she decided on Memorial Day to step down and spend more time with her three other children. She said she was returning to California on Tuesday because it was Casey's birthday. He would have been 28.
"We've accomplished as much here as we're going to," Sheehan said Tuesday, saying she was leaving to change course. "When we come back it definitely won't be with the peace movement with marches, with rallies and with protests. It will be more humanitarian efforts."
Last year, with $52,500 in insurance money received after her son's death, Sheehan bought 5 acres near downtown Crawford as a permanent site for protests.
"Camp Casey has served its purpose. It's for sale. Anyone want to buy five beautiful acres in Crawford, Texas?" she wrote.
DUmmie FUnnies 05-28-07 ("Good Riddance Attention Whore" ---Cindy Sheehan)
She mentioned Democratic Undergound as being uncivil to her announcement but AP seems to have redacted that part of her message.
At least the FR quotes weren't biased.
You mean this isn't one of them? :}
Maybe if she held her breath until she turned blue, or pounded her arms and legs on the ground?
You were wonderfully gracious to her with your words, kristinn.
FR is well represented.
sw
Bravo! Such a statement makes me proud to be associated with Free Republic!
What a gracious response.
You’re an honor to our troops and Free Republic.
~ Thank you ~
Wow - your comment made my day - thank you very much.
And what’s more - I wish upon you - some good luck today.
What a fantastic quote. Rather than kicking her while she was down (as the MSM no doubt expected) you tossed them a nice curve ball deflecting the blame on those who deserve it most - the Bush-haters who used Sheehan and then discarded her when her value tanked.
As a recent parent, I too can sympathize with Sheehan (sadly the clintonized term “feel you pain” is not longer usable). It must be devastating when a child predeceases a parent. Alas, the path she chose to channel her grief was not a sound one and was beset by all types of leftist snakes. And therein lies the tragedy.
Maybe Bush Derangement Syndrome burns itself out and Cindy is the first lefty to recover.
Thank you so much for such kind words. You made my day.
You are both very welcomed.
Well that ought to keep her busy for the rest of her miserable life.
My first thought. LOL!
Kristinn is right though -- she was used by the left to get what they wanted. I said all along that they didn't care about her, the just wanted to use her, only to discard her for the next big thing at an opportune moment. I fell sorry for her in some ways. That said -- I'm glad she's done.
I know he wouldn't want people bashing his mom, even if she is a worthless human being in our eyes. A mom is a mom.
Her broomstick is up for auction on e-bay as we speak.
Is DFU at it again??
Not me. Is there now a Cindy broomstick on eBay?
LOL!! Not sure if it’s for real or a joke, but I thought of you immediately! ;-)
Link?
I got $13.95 plus shipping and handling for Hillary’s BROOMSTICK ONE.
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