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Year in spotlight has changed life of Cindy Sheehan
War protester has gained praise and criticism since son's death in Iraq.WASHINGTON Cindy Sheehan looks tired as she sits down to lead a handful of demonstrators outside the Iraqi Embassy on a recent afternoon. It has been a long year for the anti-war activist who just completed a whirlwind tour of speaking engagements in Italy. Then the shouts of "U.S. out of Iraq!" begin, and her face brightens and swells with pride, like a mother who has given birth to a political movement. A few feet away, a flurry of activity offers a glimpse into how a once obscure Catholic youth minister has become the public face of the U.S. anti-war movement. "Cindy is protesting," one of her assistants says into a cell phone while clutching a thick yellow almanac of media contacts. "I can get you a minute." Step right up and see the Amazing Protesting Bimbo! Performances every hour on the half hour! Step right up! As Sheehan prepares to return to Crawford today, renewing a round of protests that thrust her into the national spotlight a year ago, the story of her rise to notoriety from a ditch outside President Bush's ranch is peppered with joy and pain. She's become a household name, yet her once strong family ties are in ruins. Her work has become a 24-hour-a-day obsession, generating praise from around the world, yet it also brought condemnation even death threats from opponents who suggest that her constant harangue has made her a bit of a political gadfly. Others say it has diluted her message. Opponents "have been trying to get me for a long time," says Sheehan, 49, reflecting on her work since the death of her son Casey while serving in Iraq two years ago. "I raised four kids in six years. If they think they are going to ruffle my feathers, they are mistaken." But there are signs Sheehan is not the same person who stumbled into the national limelight last year. In addition to having an aide who handles media, she has an agent who arranges paid lectures most of them a platform to speak against the war. A blockbuster anti-war book is slated for release next month, and she recently bought 5 acres in Crawford, using some of her son's life insurance money, to ensure that protests outside Bush's ranch continue. Thanks, Casey! Sheehan turns circumspect when asked to share the financial details of her work, such as who pays for the dozens of hotel rooms, airline tickets and meals for her and sister Dede Miller, who often travels with her. "Supporters," she says. And, she pays for some of it. "My expenses are low," Sheehan adds. The "Skating on Casey's Bones Tour" rolls on! Still, her work has come with a costly emotional price tag. Sheehan's fiery rhetoric and inflammatory attacks on the president have sent once close friends running for cover. She has referred to Bush as a terrorist and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld as an "angel of death." Sheehan's 28-year marriage is over. Family members have spoken out against her. "Out of everything, that hurt me the most," she said. "After 31 years of being in the family, I thought they would support me. They totally disowned me and chose George Bush over murder." John Tierney, author of the book "The Politics of Peace: What's behind the anti-war movement?" said Sheehan is not only an effective advocate for the anti-war cause, but she has also brought a mother's touch to a fight that tends to be difficult for average Americans to grasp. To those who view Sheehan's activism with suspicion, her mission is about feeding an insatiable appetite for public attention. "Cindy has a lot of hatred about her," former sister-in-law Cherie Quartarolo said. "Cindy has chosen to use her dead son's image to promote political causes. That's just inappropriate." But it is lucrative... Posted by: tu3031 2006-08-06 |
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