The Slime and Drudge of Smear Mongers

I did not intend to blog on this subject again so quickly, but the newest bit of low end smear tactics from the right, inspires a response.

This is from the Drudge report, a letter supposedly signed by some of Cindy Sheehan's relatives, appealing for Cindy to "Stop"

Below, I have reprinted the short 'article' in question.

FAMILY OF FALLEN SOLDIER PLEADS: PLEASE STOP, CINDY!Thu Aug 11 2005 12:56:21 ETThe family of American soldier Casey Sheehan, who was killed in Iraq on April 4, 2004, has broken its silence and spoken out against his mother Cindy Sheehan's anti-war vigil against George Bush held outside the president's Crawford, Texas ranch. The following email was received by the DRUDGE REPORT from Casey's aunt and godmother:

Our family has been so distressed by the recent activities of Cindy we are breaking our silence and we have collectively written a statement for release. Feel free to distribute it as you wish. Thanks, Cherie In response to questions regarding the Cindy Sheehan/Crawford Texas issue: Sheehan Family Statement: The Sheehan Family lost our beloved Casey in the Iraq War and we have been silently, respectfully grieving. We do not agree with the political motivations and publicity tactics of Cindy Sheehan. She now appears to be promoting her own personal agenda and notoriety at the the expense of her son's good name and reputation.

The rest of the Sheehan Family supports the troops, our country, and our President, silently, with prayer and respect. Sincerely, Casey Sheehan's grandparents, aunts, uncles and numerous cousins.


To start with, just to be fair, this note claims to have been written by two individuals who assume they represent the rest of the family yet only two people claim to have written it and neither has named themselves. Odd thing for someone making a public statement claiming to speak for others. It reads like it was written by a political hack, to me.

But, one must consider the source. Drudge is a bottom feeding muckraker who had his moment of attention, quite some time ago. He has milked that moment for all it's worth but try as he may, he can't make it back to the lime light, no matter how low he sinks.

This article is as low as it gets. He presents it in a manner, mentioning no names, that will allow him an out, if it turns out to be fraudulent.

Let's assume that it isn't a made up job, (just for the sake of discussion). Being, as I am, the product of a red neck American family, it is easy to read the self pity, arrogance, and presumption in this little lash out.

I can imagine that a strong, active, intelligent woman like Cindy Sheehan is leaned on by at least part of her extended family and in-laws. Some one may be missing her free services. Pure speculation based on the note of self pity in the demand.

The arrogant assumption that their needs and desires out rank Cindy's, based on some level of blood tie, speaks for itself. The attempted guilt trip, the claim that Cindy some how dishonors her son, by not playing the pretense that it was a noble loss, is just the sort of garbage that families and in-laws throw at each other on a regular basis. Always striving to claim the moral high ground to excuse their desire to control. Yet it still reads like it was written by a pro political hack.

What this sort of tactic says, for the right wing war supporters, is that they are running out of options and ideas. The tiny president can't meet, face to face, with an honest citizen, one not swayed or bought by dreams of political reward. It is damned hard for the hacks to to come up with a good excuse for the president's obvious show of weakness.

A person like Cindy is very hard to smear. So you have make up a family drama, a soap opera scenario, in a strained attempt to paint the woman black. They have to do that because the president's behavior is beyond any spin doctor fix. The toadies and operatives find themselves with the dire task of trying to smear and belittle a woman who genuinely represents many ordinary Americans.

To me, the most telling thing in this scenario, is that the president can't face this woman. If he himself, actually believed in the necessity and the 'nobility' of this war, he would have no trouble meeting this woman whether she agreed with him or not. But the compulsive liar, the little president, can not meet this woman because she stands so much taller than he does. He and his advisers know it.

The little president, dumb as he is, knows exactly why we are really fighting this war. But he can't say it, can he? He can't talk about the promises to corporate supporters, he can't talk about his pre-presidential plan to invade Iraq as part of becoming his idea of a "Great President".

He can't talk about the natural destiny of his superior class, he can't talk about the power and privilege of oil companies, or the tax dollar pork, literally thrown at his class and his corporate cronies and supporters. He can't talk about Dick Cheney and the mountains of corruption that lay there in. He can never admit that he isn't really the president, that Cheney and Rove call the shots in his 'great' presidency.

He can not stand face to face with an honest uncorrupted citizen. No wonder he hates and fears democracy.

All the kings men and all the kings horses do not know what to do with an honest, courageous citizen who can't be bought or killed and will not back down.

Lo' how the mighty are falling. The entire world is watching this drama. A stand off between an honest and courageous woman and this powerful, cowardly liar. It is not getting the coverage one might hope for in the corporate American media but it is a big story in Europe and much of the world. It was a feature story in Canada's national media today.

The little president blinks early, in every personal test he has faced. I can not believe this weak, lazy, cowardly little man is actually the president. A president who doesn't work late. Doesn't work week ends. and spends much of his time on vacation, does so because, he is only needed for the figurehead duties.

I haven't seen the little President at his gate saying "Bring it on little momma!" He only says that when someone else is on the sharp point of the stick. Pathetic.



My friend and soon to be editor, Nancy, another transplanted southerner, has asked me to pass this on to my readers:

MoveOn is taking out an ad in President Bush's local newspaper in support of Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a soldier killed in Iraq who is camped outside Bush's ranch in Texas asking for a meeting with the president. They'll publish the number of signers and the best comments in a full two-page spread in the newspaper nearest to Crawford (The Waco Tribune Herald) while Cindy holds her vigil. Can you sign and spread the word before the 3:00 PM Friday print deadline?

http://political.moveon.org/meetwithcindy/

Post Script- Cindy Sheehan's husband and immediate family have expressed great support for what Cindy is doing, giving support to my belief that this letter is a sham. Who cares what a couple of pissed off in-laws think? Most of us have experienced the reality petty judgmental in-laws and all of us have experienced the reality of media hacks that make things up.

We shall see which variety of smear scam this is.