It's not politics

Failed Banzai attack

Banzai charges looked scary, but were relatively easy to stop.

When the Japanese would get liquored up and run for the allied lines, hoping to break them and set them to flight, the easiest way to stop them was to remain calm and machine gun them to death.

Emotion met calm resolve and failed.

This is not about politics.

Most of the Beltway is mystified as to why Cindy Sheehan has been protesting, and the shots at her have come fast and furious. But you don't see other, pro-war parents attacking her. It just isn't happening. The only ones who are come from the Beltway pundit class. But what is even more amazing is that people don't get it.

This isn't about politics. And the longer this goes on, the worse this will be for the President. At a point, there are only so many nasty things which can be said about Sheehan, After awhile, it becomes background noise. But she's still there.

Because the framing of the right is illogical. She's a tool of the far left, which in their minds includes Move On and Michael Moore. She's distraught. Well, no shit, her son is dead and she doesn't understand why.

But the fact is the best thing Cindy Sheehan has going for herself is her character. The attacks on her border on the absolutely ridiculous. She hates Jews, she's a tool.

Too bad she looks like your mom, if she was short and blond and under 50.

So none of them stick.

Oppo won't help here. This isn't the 1950's, Sheehan can speak for herself. But then. this isn't political.

The right is trying to turn Sheehan into a political figure, but it isn't working because her credibility is unassailable. No matter what they say, her son remains a dead soldier.

Bush could have handled this immediately, met with her and this would be over, no drama, no nonsense. But like the coward he is, he ran from her.

So the slanders get nastier, meaner and louder.

But, like banzai charges, they are doomed.

Why?

Because these attacks are contrary to the ideas of their base. Disrespecting military dead is anathema to most people, especially conservative Republicans. It was they accused the left of for decades. Now, you have these pampered, soft pundits attacking Gold Star Mothers.

But they seem to think the enemy is Move On or Michael Moore. But they aren't outside the President's ranch, are they. Just the mothers of the dead. And that who is being attacked.

The mothers of the dead are powerful spokesmen. They were in Argentina, where they helped bring down the government. Underestimate them, as the right is doing, is at their peril.

People have compared Sheehan to Rosa Parks, but that's the wrong comparison.

She should be compared to Emmitt Till's mother. The locals wanted a quick burial, because they had so tortured Till. His mother refused that and demanded an open casket funeral in Chicago. The savage nature of his treatment was clear and the picture of him in that casket, which first ran in Jet, was shown around the world. That showed the true face of segregation. Their hatred is so over the top, it diminishes their credibility.

Sheehan's vigil does the same thing. It shows the true face of Bush and the conservatives. Like the Japanese found out when they hit the Marines on Guadacanal. She, like they, weren't going anywhere but forward.

posted by Steve @ 8:02:00 PM