sheehan

Cindy Sheehan, who I once saw in Crawford, Texas, has lately taken heat from some on the left.

Ms. Sheehan said she was leaving the Iraq War peace movement. But she was soon back in the news saying she would run an independent candidacy against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

I think Ms. Sheehan is pursuing an uncertain course at the moment. I’d support Ms. Pelosi over Ms. Sheehan if I had a vote in that hypothetical race.

However, that said, I think Ms. Sheehan’s critics on the left should consider a much more forgiving view.

It took a certain type of personality and a good deal of courage for Ms. Sheehan to take the anti-war stand she took and to camp out near President Bush’s ranch. It’s a type of personality people on the left should understand and appreciate. It’s stressful to speak up when others won’t.

Ms. Sheehan is doing the best she can in an often lousy world.

As for running against Ms. Pelosi, Democrats in Congress rolled over for President Bush’s agenda for a long time. What does Ms. Sheehan owe Democrats?

Putting aside Ms. Sheehan to a degree, some say that actions taken outside the two major parties are doomed to be ineffective.

To this I reply–What political party did Martin Luther King or Malcolm X represent?

What political party did Susan B. Anthony represent?

What political party did William Lloyd Garrison represent?

What political party did Tecumseh or Sitting Bull represent?

There is room for all kinds in this life.

If commentators and observers on the left don’t get that concept, who will?