"Written in memory of a great [wo]man"

Beethoven's Third Symphony is was originally titled in 1803 as "Bonaparte Symphony," after the French hero Napoleon Bonaparte. Then in 1804, Napoleon crowned himself emperor and Beethoven supposedly ripped the cover off the symphony and renamed it the Eroica Symphony, conmemorating a general heroism and "composed to celebrate the memory of a great man." I think I feel the same sense of betrayal- the disillusionment brought about by a once heroic figure who has proven that even those who claim to manifest pure ideals are flawed.

I've been always sympathetic to Cindy Sheehan, especially since she sparked national press coverage of the peace activism that had always been going on at the local level. I've defended her when my own co-contributors on Decaf have [legitimately] pointed out her tactlessness. But wow. This headline made me do a double take at the laptop screen:

Peace activist Cindy Sheehan considers challenging Sen. Feinstein

American peace activist Cindy Sheehan, whose son was killed in Iraq, said Saturday she is strongly considering running for office against U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein because the California lawmaker will not support calls to immediately bring the troops home.

Sheehan, who was visiting Venezuela for the World Social Forum along with activists from around the world, said she has been thinking of challenging Feinstein for her seat for some time [...]

Sheehan, 48, who lives in Berkeley, Calif., accused Feinstein of being out-of-touch with Californians on Iraq.

"She voted for the war. She continues to vote for the funding. She won't call for an immediate withdrawal of the troops," said Sheehan, who gained international attention when she set up a protest camp near U.S. President George W. Bush's Texas ranch last year.

"I think our senator needs to be held accountable for her support of George Bush and his war policies," she added [...]

"She doesn't support George Bush and his war policies," [Feinstein's campaign manager Kam] Kuwata said by phone from California. "She has stated publicly on numerous occasions that she felt she was misled by the administration at the time of the vote."

But with troops committed, Feinstein believes immediate withdrawal is not a responsible option, Kuwata said. "Sen. Feinstein's position is, 'Let's work toward quickly turning over the defense of Iraq to Iraqis so that we can bring the troops home as soon as possible.'"

Kuwata said Feinstein and Sheehan appear to have a fundamental disagreement over whether troops should be pulled out right now. "That's why they have elections, and if she decides to file (paperwork to run), so be it," he said.

Sheehan, whose son Casey was killed in Iraq in 2004, said running in the Democratic primary would help make a broader point.

"If I decided to run, I would have no illusions of winning, but it would bring attention to all the peace candidates in the country," she said. "And I know I would be able to at least have some influence on policy."

I admire her dedication to peace efforts. But enough is enough. I don't believe a single word of that above statement. Somebody please stop her. If she was the Democratic nominee for one of California's two senate seats, she would NOT help make a broader point but instead polarize the debate even further, although both parties (but Democrats in particular) are now uneasy about the current situation in Iraq. This is disappointing, indeed.