Sunday, July 08, 2007

Sheehan Considers Challenge to Pelosi

Cindy Sheehan, the soldier's mother who galvanized the anti-war movement, said Sunday that she plans to seek House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's congressional seat unless she introduces articles of impeachment against President Bush in the next two weeks.
Sheehan said she will run against the San Francisco Democrat in 2008 as an independent if Pelosi does not seek by July 23 to impeach Bush. That's when Sheehan and her supporters are to arrive in Washington, D.C., after a 13-day caravan and walking tour starting next week from the group's war protest site near Bush's Crawford ranch.

"Democrats and Americans feel betrayed by the Democratic leadership," Sheehan told The Associated Press. "We hired them to bring an end to the war. I'm not too far from San Francisco, so it wouldn't be too big of a move for me. I would give her a run for her money."
I have a great deal of respect for Cindy Sheehan. In many ways it was her voice, after the death of her son, that started a true anti-war movement but I must disagree with this tactic.

I think it is very naive to think that a simple change in Congressional leadership could end this war. The Democrats simply do not have the votes to override a presidential veto and stop this war. I am totally for impeachment of this President and Vice President but there again the votes are simply not there for removal.

Simplistic resolutions to the war and impeachment of this President do not exist. Cindy Sheehan has a right to challenge Speaker Pelosi as does any other citizen in the district that feels she has not performed her job as well as expected. The issue is not her right to challenge but her motives for doing so. Cindy Sheehan has become an expert on how Washington works and she knows better than anyone that there is no magic wand to stop this war.

Cindy Sheehan should spend her time persuading waivering Republicans that this war needs to end. Getting 67 votes to override a Presidential veto is the only hope of stopping this war.

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