Breaking News--Sheehan Leaves Crawford

This is sad news indeed, but hopefully things will go alright; via Salon's War Room:

News broke this afternoon that Cindy Sheehan left her camp site near President Bush's estate in Crawford, Texas, and flew to Los Angeles after learning that her mother had suffered a stroke. This is sad news for Sheehan personally. What will it mean for the peace movement she galvanized by driving to Texas and demanding that the president explain the purpose of the war that cost the life of her son Casey? Well, it's too early to tell, of course. A lot depends on the condition of Sheehan's mother. If there is a good prognosis for a swift recovery, then Sheehan will most likely return to her bivouac, where she had pledged to remain until Bush returns to Washington at the end of August. [...] Though she has suffered withering criticism from conservative backers of the war, Sheehan clearly has the right stuff for her cause, those indefinable qualities that have drawn people to her and her purpose. She's been branded a conspiracy theorist and a liar. She's been called a dupe of liberal activists and a product of lazy reporters who found an easy story, though she came to Crawford on her own, and the media would have already deserted her if her tale hadn't resonated with the public. She's been subjected to vicious assaults on her character, attacks that she has borne with humor and dignity. It is her stories of meeting and befriending people from different walks of life, some who have come to confront her, however, that are the best measure of why she is succeeding. For whatever reason, she connects with people, even people who don't share her point of view. These human qualities are the reason why millions of Americans will be anxiously watching for the next developments in this story, hoping for a triumphant return to her Texas encampment.