I say "little snippet" of a story because it is one of those entries containing several short snippets of political news, the Sheehan story being one of them. But, befitting Fletcher's obviously smitten condition with "grieving mother" Sheehan, it is the largest entry in the article.
Let us start with the overawed first paragraph.
It was just two years ago that Cindy Sheehan pierced the national consciousness with her roadside vigil near President Bush's Texas ranch in protest of the Iraq war.
"Pierced the national consciousness?" How is that for over the top, eh? About all Sheehan has "pierced" is her own reputation as she went on to associate with every dictator, anti-American and subversive leftist organization out there.
Fletcher doesn't get any less absurd as he continues.
Several thousand demonstrators came to Crawford to join Sheehan in 2005, capturing the international media spotlight and seemingly crystallizing the antiwar movement. Before long, Sheehan was transformed from a grieving mother moved to protest by the loss of her son in Iraq into a globe-trotting antiwar hero. Eventually banned from the roadside, she bought five acres of land to serve as a base for future protests, dubbing it Camp Casey after her son.
"Crystallized," and "hero?" Fletcher is inventing a whole new level to the small number of protesters that Sheehan ever had at her self-servingly named "Camp Casey." Except for early in its history, the place has never garnered more than a few hundred at a time. Far from a Mecca of the protest movement as Fletcher tries to make it out. It has quickly been forgotten and is now easily ignored.
Fletcher goes on to highlight a Canadian who has become the new camp follower who has replaced the too busy Sheehan at "Camp Casey." A fellow oddly named Carl Rising-Moore, an aging hippie turned camp seat warmer has replaced the famous "peace mom" and is doing his bang-up, darndest to make the often ignored spot of grass relevant.
Fletcher regales us about how Rising-Moore has "studied" Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. and hopes to "preach the power of non-violence."
Tell that to the suicide bombers of radical Islam, Mr. Rising-Moore? (I think I am missing something with this hyphenated name deal. I thought only women hyphenated their names? Someone please tell me what self-respecting man would do this... or is this a British or French thing?)
In any case, the unnoticed efforts of Rising-Moore aside, Fletcher ends his piece with a bit of political analysis that seems months out of date.
Despite the quiet existence, Rising-Moore feels that Camp Casey has been a success. And who's to argue: When Bush returns to Washington, the biggest issue he is likely to confront is congressional pressure to withdraw from Iraq, as public sentiment has swung decidedly against the war.
Far from finding any "pressure to withdraw from Iraq," Bush is likely to return to the issue being pushed to the back burner by the Democrat Party who is still trying to figure out what to do about their many failures to pass any censures of Bush-Cheney, their failures to pass any non-binding resolutions to get out of Iraq early, and the success that the surge has so far seen. At this time, the Bush doctrine is holding its own and the Democrat cut-and-run policy is seeing hard times.
I certainly hope that Fletcsher isn't paid real money for his political acumen at the Washington Post?
One thing is certain; the anti-war "movement" can count on Michael A. Fletcher to shill for them any time.
