Cindy
Sheehan Steps Into the Leadership Void

During
my many years as a writer, I've interviewed hundreds of people. But talking
with Cindy Sheehan this morning was unlike any conversation I've ever had. Even
though we were talking via cell phone – and had a crummy, staticky connection
at that – her authenticity and passion reached through the receiver and both
touched my heart and punched me in the gut.

She
spoke with a combination of utter determination, unassailable integrity,
fearlessness, and the peace of someone who knows that their cause is just. Her
commitment was palpable – and infectious. It reminded me an old quote about the
great Greek orators: “When Pericles spoke, the people said, 'How well he
speaks.' But when Demosthenes spoke, they said, 'Let us march!'”

That's
the feeling I got from this former Catholic youth minister. She of the floppy
hat and the six foot frame (though she's standing even taller than that these
days). A woman driven by faith and conviction who used to think that one person
couldn't make a difference and is learning otherwise. Her humanity stands in
stark contrast to the inhumanity of those who refuse to admit their mistakes and
continue to send our young men and women to die in Iraq.

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