Cindy Sheehan Steps Down as the Face of the Antiwar Movement

By Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!. Posted May 30, 2007.

AMY GOODMAN: We turn to Cindy Sheehan, who has just announced she is stepping away from the antiwar movement after two years of being the nation's most visible critic of the war in Iraq. She began speaking out against the invasion and occupation of Iraq after her twenty-four-year-old son, Army Specialist Casey Sheehan, was killed in Iraq in Sadr City on April 4, 2004. Cindy Sheehan made headlines around the world in August 2005, when she staged a camp out to pressure President Bush to meet her as he vacationed at his Crawford estate.

On Monday, Cindy Sheehan announced her resignation as the face of the antiwar movement. She said she's stepping back in part because of hostility from Democrats, who she has criticized for supporting the war.

Cindy Sheehan also cited repeated threats on her life, strains on our health and family, and divisions inside the peace movement. She wrote, "When I started to hold the Democratic Party to the same standards I held the Republican Party, support for my cause started to erode and the 'left' started labeling me with the same slurs the right used. I guess no one paid attention to me when I said that the issue of peace and people dying for no reason is not a matter of 'left or right,' but 'right and wrong.'"

It's very good to have you with us. You have just flown home. Yesterday, you arrived in California. Tell us about your decision. On Memorial Day, many people around this country and the world read your painful letter, saying it seems, at least for now, goodbye to your active role as one of the leaders of the peace movement in this country.

CINDY SHEEHAN: It was not an easy decision, and it wasn't a spur of the moment decision or a quick decision like going down to Crawford, Texas, was very, you know, spur of the moment and very, very not thought out well. But it turned out well.

Anyway, I've been thinking about it for a year, when I -- after last summer, when I almost died, and I started thinking about pulling back a little bit. And after, you know, I regained some of my strength, I just went back into it full force. And it's hard to work within this movement that is so divided, that is so -- really has a lot of negative energy. It's draining. It's drained my energy. And I used to -- you know, I still get so much support from so many people, but when people -- our new left really is just barely right of center, but when people there start criticizing me and calling me the same names that the right has been calling me, I think it's time to reevaluate, pull back, you know, see what other direction we can come at this from.

AMY GOODMAN: Cindy, I remember reaching you in the hospital last year, not even knowing that you were ill. But explain what happened.

CINDY SHEEHAN: Well, you know, I was having gynecological problems, and in less than twenty-four hours I lost almost half of my blood volume, so I had to go in. I had to have transfusions. I ended up having two emergency surgeries and then, you know, getting a really bad infection afterwards and having to go back to the hospital for a few days.

So, you know, that was very symbolic, life-draining. You know, my lifeblood was draining out of me. So that was really touch-and-go there for a little while. And I've regained some of my strength, but that was serious surgery. And, you know, it's my fault. I didn't give myself enough time to heal physically from it.

AMY GOODMAN: Cindy, can we go back -- and I know this is extremely painful -- April 4, 2004. Though you've spoken a great deal about it publicly in this country and around the world, let's talk about your journey, the subtitle of your book, "A Mother's Journey Through Heartache to Activism." When did you learn that Casey was killed?

CINDY SHEEHAN: Well, he was killed, in California time it was a little before 8:00 in the morning. I woke up at 9:00 a.m. It was amazing. It was the first day since he had been gone that I felt any kind of lightness in my spirit. And I woke up. It was Palm Sunday. I went through my Sunday activity, cleaning house, doing laundry, shopping for the week, getting my clothes ready for the next week of work.

And my ex-husband and I, who, you know, I was still married to, Casey's dad, we were sitting down, watching CNN and eating dinner. We had filet mignon that day. I remember what we were eating. And a report came on CNN. It showed a Humvee burning and said that eight soldiers had been killed in Baghdad that day.

And I looked at Pat, and I said, "One of them was Casey." And, you know, he got very upset. He goes, "Well, you know, he's only been there a few days. You know, there's hundreds of thousands of soldiers there. Chances are it can't be Casey. You know, it's statistically very slim that it was Casey. And we don't even know where he is yet." And I just said, "I don't care what you say. One of them was Casey." And about four hours later, my worst fears were confirmed by the US military.

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Amy Goodman is the host of the nationally syndicated radio news program, Democracy Now!

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