A Flawed Column

[Originally published 9/30 in my old LiveJournal blog]

With increasing dissatisfaction here in America about the Iraq war (and the President's handling of it), a lot has been said about the anti-war movement- from both sides. Karl Rove said earlier this month that there is no anti-war movement. Of course, Mr. Rove is an immoral scumbag who has made a living destroying the lives of others. So I'm not too concerned with what George Bush's own Joseph Goebbels thinks about the movement. Certainly, the thousands of people in DC last weekend can attest to the existence of a strong anti-war movement. The main problem of the movement is (and has been) the absence of a clear leader. The civil rights movements of the '50s and '60s was so successful because of strong leaders such as Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr.

The anti-war movement apparently found its leader last month, in the form of grieving Gold Star mother Cindy Sheehan. Her grief over her loss is what gave her the moral authority to take on the administration. Her refusal to back down while camped out for a month outside the ranch of a President who was too busy clearing brush to meet with her, inspired many. The movement rallied around her and, together, they continue to take the fight of the peace movement to the President's door. However, recent incidents have hurt her credibility with the public, such as Cindy's big grin during her arrest (as if the whole thing was a lovely tea party) and her increasingly radical statements (such that troops should get out of "occupied New Orleans"... oops, Cindy, the whole point is the troops belong here, not in Iraq!). As another example, Cindy's earlier (and correct) statements that the war in Iraq is a distraction from the real war on terror is contradicted by her more recent statements against the Afghanistan war. The clarity she had at the beginning is long gone. These incidents have made anti-war Americans wonder whether Cindy might be doing more harm than good. It's a fair point, no matter how much I will continue to defend her right to go out there and speak her mind to the leaders whose actions resulted in her son's death. Certainly whatever Cindy may say or do is absolutely nothing compared to the unconstitutional actions, law-skirting, and general corruption coming out of the White House. On the question of which side has the moral high ground, it's still Cindy by a mile.

Well, with this in mind, I came across an interesting column in today's Daily News discussing the lack of an "absolute moral authority" in today's anti-war movement. It is a point I cannot disagree with. So I skimmed it quickly and it looked like a well-written piece, but before reading further, I was curious to see who wrote it. I was not entirely surprised to see that it was Charles Krauthammer. You may have seen him on Fox News from time to time, fellating the Bush administration. As good as he is at playing the good little journalist, I think it is important to know where he is coming from before reading his column. Charles Krauthammer is a hardcore neo-conservative. As a founding member of the Project For A New American Century, Krauthammer is a big believer in a unilateral foreign policy and the group's goal "to shape a new century favorable to American principles and interests". Needless to say, he is a big supporter of the Iraq war. When the war began, I am sure he and William Kristol and William "You could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down" Bennett and Richard Perle were all at PNAC headquarters eating popcorn and watching Fox News as Baghdad got shocked and awed with explosive fury. In short, Mr. Krauthammer's statements about Cindy Sheehan may not be wrong, but they are beside the point. Sheehan is just a tool for Charlie to try and marginalize the anti-war sentiment in this country, which is now the majority. Krauthammer is insulted not just by Ms. Sheehan's more radical statements, but even just her assertion that *gasp* George W. Bush might be a dishonest person. Jesus Christ himself could come down from Heaven to denounce the war and no doubt Krauthammer and his associates would find fault with the radical socialist rantings of that hippie. "Blessed are the peacemakers"? That goes too far! Be careful Mr. Christ, they killed Martin Luther King for saying radical stuff like that. Oh what's that, you already were killed? Ohh okay... nevermind then. Anyway, if anyone is interested, Mr. Krauthammer's column is below.

A flawed leader-
Anti-war movement lacks absolute moral authority

A large number of Americans feel deep and understandable unease about the war in Iraq, and want nothing more than to pull out. But the antiwar movement is singularly disserved by its leadership, such as it is. Its de facto leader is Cindy Sheehan, who catapulted herself into that role by quite brilliantly exploiting the media's hunger for political news during the August recess, and by wrapping herself in the courage of her son Casey, who died in Iraq.

Her loss and grief deserve sympathy and respect. However, Sheehan believes that it entitles her to special standing in opposing a war...