What makes Cindy run?

Greetings to readers who were at the at the "Beaverton Supports Cindy" vigil at the Memorial Park tonight.

The photos are courtesy of Marcia Mueller. Click on them to enlarge.

Over 350 people attended our vigil, one of twenty coordinated by True Majority, Democracy for America, and Move On in the Portland area tonight. The crowd formed a large circle, taking up the width of the long narrow park. No speeches, no readings. Several people brought small signs, among them: "Support our Troops - Bring Them Home" and "Don't let any more children die in Iraq."

As the sunlight faded and the breeze - rare enough around here in August - pestered the candle flames, silent observation of the moment gradually gave over to quiet conversation: about Cindy Sheehan, about the peace rallies in Portland before the war began, about the misbegotten war, and about Bush. Always, inevitably, back to Bush, and what a failure he's been, what a divisive figure he's been for our country.

The event lasted a little less than an hour. The circle of participants gradually split, an inner and outer circle moving by in opposite directions, shaking hands, making introductions. Very nice. A warm moment at a cold time.

But back to the question: What does make Cindy run?

Democracy Arsenal offers a take on why Cindy Sheehan is so hard for Bush to ignore and so difficult for the right wing slime machine to derail:

Conservatives such as Michelle Malkin and Bill O'Reilly have blasted the liberal media for lavishing attention on an unworthy protest, but that hardly takes away from what Sheehan has accomplished. After all, there are countless efforts made by anti-war protesters which don't result in this kind of coverage. But Sheehan did a perfect job of framing herself as a lonely voice in the wilderness of Crawford, attempting to soften the heart of an American pharoah hiding behind the darkened windows of his limousine. And as the NYT points out, Sheehan had the good luck (or perhaps the good sense) to stage her protest in the "slow news month" of August, when journalists are almost desperate for news.

This is on the right track, but it's still not quite there.

First, Sheehan staged her protest in August because that's when Bush began his five-week vacation. Bush's timing, in turn, is about Congress being on vacation in August too. So yes, it's certainly helping propel Sheehan and Camp Casey into the news that August is a traditionally slow news month (of course, one could name 60 families tonight who might disagree about that), but it wasn't really luck or good sense that she picked August. Bush did, and he's her target.

And as for the "lonely voice in the wilderness" idea, I think that's near the mark, too. But I also think Democracy Arsenal is missing the point to talk about framing and strategy - yes, she's gradually becoming surrounded by, or linked to, people who are strategic as hell but to say she chose to frame herself this way is as nonsensical as saying Ronald Reagan chose to be more telegenic than Walter Mondale in the 1984 campaign.

I know I risk losing my Card Carrying Cynic's credentials by saying this, but I think DA has underestimated the extent to which Sheehan is the real deal, who means what she says - no less, certainly, but no more either.

Here's the most recent reason to think so:

She's asked that all her supporters across the nation and around the world start to dial it back a little, please.

"I appreciate all their help, but their help is going to have to diminish and go to the sidelines, so it's going to have to get back to a mom sitting in a chair waiting for George Bush," she said in an interview Tuesday. Of those who suggest that her personal tragedy has become a political rallying point, she says, "I kind of see their point that this was a grass-roots thing that grew into a monster...."

"The media focused more on me and not the message," she says. "I'm not the only one that wants answers."

(Courtesy of Americablog.)

Comments are welcome--please share stories about the vigil you attended, or links to media coverage tomorrow.