According to certain pundits with whom we are all too, too familiar, it’s evidently undignified, despicable, and possibly treasonous for relatives of those who have died in Iraq to publically voice their opinions.
There are, of course, exceptions to this rule …
By Dan Froomkin
Special to washingtonpost.comStung by the ability of one grieving mother to inspire a growing antiwar movement, the White House has found a mom to call its own.
An obviously delighted President Bush introduced her to a boisterous invitation-only audience mostly made up of military families in Idaho yesterday — then sent her out to talk to the press.
(Emphasis added.)
Let’s get this point out of the way right now: As far as I’m concerned, Tammy Pruett is absolutely within her rights to voice her opinion, and more power to her if she can get national attention for that opinion.
It is worth noting, though, that this wasn’t exactly spontaneous …
(Dana Bash, CNN) “Tammy’s husband and one son are just back from Iraq. Four other sons are still serving. The White House invited the Pruetts and choreographed this moment with a family CNN first profiled more than a year ago. The president’s goal: show support among military families, appeal to patriotism. . . .
“Setting aside past concerns about privacy or looking too political, the White House led reporters to Tammy Pruett. She said this of Cindy Sheehan: ‘The way that she’s chosen to mourn, it wouldn’t be the way that we would do it. But we respect her rights.'”
Well, Ms. Pruett, I’m glad you respect her rights. But this isn’t how Cindy Sheehan has “chosen to mourn”. It’s how she’s chosen to act, it’s how she’s chosen to participate in democracy. Nobody else has been able to get a coherent, non-doublespeak answer out of the President, so she figured she’d try this approach. I doubt very much that Cindy and her opinion will get a moment in the limelight with the President, but at least her actions have made a few more people realize that the President isn’t very much interested in talking with people who might disagree with him.