Bush on Sheehan

"I sympathize with Mrs. Sheehan," Bush said. "She feels strongly about her position, and she has every right in the world to say what she believes. This is America. She has a right to her position, and I thought long and hard about her position. I've heard her position from others, which is: Get out of Iraq now. And it would be a mistake for the security of this country and the ability to lay the foundations for peace in the long run if we were to do so."

I think we should pay attention to the phrase in bold, which we can only take in one of two ways. Either it is empty boiler-plate, an entirely meaningless statement, or Bush acknowledges that he has actually "thought long and hard" about withdrawing from Iraq.

The chief proponent of this war, its architect and demagogue, has, in fact "thought long and hard" about withdrawing. Some follow-up questions that I'm sure Sheehan would like to ask: has Bush also "thought long and hard" about why we are in Iraq? Or thought "long and hard" about his own proven misstatements and lies?

These questions are of some interest to Sheehan. As she writes: "We want our loved ones sacrifices to be honored by bringing our nation's sons and daughters home from the travesty that is Iraq IMMEDIATELY, since this war is based on horrendous lies and deceptions."

To confess thinking (let along thinking "long and hard") is a very dangerous thing at this time, with this war. Any thought might lead in troubling directions . . .