Cindy Sheehan: Self-Serving Politician

Yes, I know that "self-serving politician" is mostly redundant. But Cindy Sheehan's actions in Caracas, Venezuela yesterday were a mistake for her and fodder for her enemies.

This article explained things clearly: "Chavez, a former soldier known by his supporters as "El Comandante," has become a voice for many opponents of Washington who are drawn by his self-styled socialist revolution and his close alliance with Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

"Enough of imperialist aggression. We must tell the world, down with the U.S. empire," Chavez said hugging Sheehan, whose son died in the Iraq war, and the widow of Puerto Rican independence activist Filiberto Ojeda Rios, who was killed in a gunfight with police last year.

"We have to bury imperialism this century. Cindy, we are with you in your fight," he said on his regular Sunday television broadcast."

In addition, this Associated Press article details how Sheehan is ready to venture into politics big time using the death of her son to fulfill her own political ambitions

"Cindy Sheehan, the peace activist who set up camp near President Bush's Texas ranch last summer, said Saturday she is considering running against Sen. Dianne Feinstein to protest what she called the California lawmaker's support for the war in Iraq.

"She voted for the war. She continues to vote for the funding. She won't call for an immediate withdrawal of the troops," Sheehan told The Associated Press in an interview while attending the World Social Forum in Venezuela along with thousands of other anti-war and anti-globalization activists."

Farther down in the article, we learn that:

"Sheehan and other peace activists met for two hours Saturday with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who is himself a fierce critic of Bush and the Iraq war. Sheehan said she was impressed by Chavez's sincerity.

"Our president won't even take five minutes to meet with me," she said, adding that Chavez was "really excited" when he heard she was considering running for the Senate.

<>"He said, why don't I run for president? ... I just laughed."

Even many in the anti-war movement have tried to distance themselves from her and publicity stunts like this.