Cindy Sheehan Steps Aside

Good Riddance Attention Whore- The title of Cindy Sheehan's letter.

Cindy Sheehan has stepped aside. She's returning to her private life. I'm glad. She'd become tired, weird, had come to believe her own press.

Cindy Sheehan was not a hero. She was a normal person in extra-ordinary circumstances. She did what no one in the public arena was willing to do two years ago. She called the President's bluff. She shared with us the real human cost of war. She lost her son, as have so many others during this horrible, ill-advised war. She also reminded us that the tragedy and violence of war is not limited to our allies. She mourned for the people of Iraq. The women, children, and men who've lost their lives in this conflict.

She was not an easy woman to listen to. Her message was bigger and more complex than most Americans, of either political stripe, could digest.

We love our celebrities. We love to watch them flourish as much as we love to watch them fall apart. Cindy Sheehan fit the bill. She was singled out to the exclusion of other Gold Star Families and peace activists, and she didn't say, "No".

In her letter, Cindy thanked no one. Her exit was not strategic or gracious. Then again, I guess that's not her job. She revealed herself us. In the end, that's not enough to sustain a movement.

Ann Wright was a steadfast supporter of Cindy. A career Army officer that resigned her commission over this war. She is a leader, not a celebrity. I hope that Ann Wright takes up the mantle that Cindy has set aside. I hope that everyone accepts that foreign policy and the peace movement are more important than one woman's journey through the meat grinder of fame.

On a personal note, I got married at Camp Casey. Cindy Sheehan was my "maid of honor". Peter and I felt that our marriage was not only a political statement, but a hopeful act-an act of love in the face of great ignorance and misunderstanding. Love trumps everything. Love heals.



I hope Cindy finds some healing, and that we can let her go. There is so much work to be done. Cindy opened our hearts and minds to the reality of this war. That's enough to ask of one citizen.