In the very visible company of Hugo Chavez, Cindy Sheehan this weekend
denounced George Bush as a terrorist, by Bush's own definition, as one who kills innocent women and children.
"George W. Bush is responsible for killing tens of thousands of innocent people and his definition of a terrorist is someone who kills innocent women, men and children," she told other invited guests at the live broadcast of President Hugo Chavez's weekly program.
Sheehan called for the impeachment of Bush whom she accused of "war crimes."
She was visibly moved as Chavez, clad in his trademark red shirt, put his arm around her, holding her close to him as he addressed jubilant supporters and delegates from the World Social Forum.
The forum brought together some 70,000 activists, mainly from around the Americas, for six days of debate on globalization, poverty and war, marked by virulent attacks on Bush and the Iraq war, but also by some concern over the dominant role played by Chavez and Cuban officials.
This is tragic, imho. More, below.
Take a look at
this photo of Cindy Sheehan and Hugo Chavez
Now, if you look back months ago, it was yours truly who diaried Cindy's first major national television appearance. Not like that makes me special, but only to tell you that I thought she was VERY SPECIAL and I still do. Hugo Chavez I have written about a number of times and follow him closely. Hugo is special in a different way. Certainly his agenda includes trying to show up George W. Bush for his own political gain. One can argue forever about Chavez; if I were a poor person, as most of the people in Venezuela are, I would love him. Chavez is a product of colonialism/American hegemony just as certainly as are the products of elections in Palestine and in iraq and Iran. You give the power to the poor majority and they won't vote for US interference/repression. Now, while the occasional Senator has suggested we just leave Chavez alone, America, I would venture to guess, is not ready to embrace Hugo Chavez.
This diary isn't about Hugo Chavez. It's about Cindy Sheehan, and dKos. Cindy is pretty much saying the same things that get written every day at dKos. She is speaking truth to power, just as she always has. Her ploy has been to embarrass Bush, kind of like Chavez does. Cindy has come a long way in a very short time, in the national consciousness, and in ours. She now has a book out. She wants to run for the Senate.
But for a US political figure to ally with a foreign leader does not work, particularly with one like Chavez. It never has and it never will. It's not like going to Hanoi, but it's not good. I don't want to comment specifically on this episode with Cindy, because it makes me sad. But I think politically she has marginalized herself. She's a big girl, she can do what she wants. I will still listen to what she has to say, but I think she and her supporters are going to lose mainstream support from this trip. You can only get so far from the mainstream before you lose credibility.
It makes me sad. In a way, it reminds me of the problems that the Democratic Party and dKos seem to have in criticizing the Republicans and Bush. The old "you hate America" meme. Now, Chavez claims not to hate America; in fact, he is helping some of our poor people with heating oil this winter. But of course, that is more a cynical ploy than anything else. No, however much we may admire his reforms, you won't be able to sell Chavez as a friend of America and get anything but booed by the mainstream electorate, imho.
I will let others comment, but I am saddened by this turn of events. i think Chavez has taken advantage of Cindy, and I think the antiwar "movement" will suffer. We shall see.