Putrid Propaganda

If you've ever been on the fence regarding whether the Drudge Report was a propaganda arm for the Right Wing Noise Machine, this example should help clarify things. Today, Drudge is reporting that Cindy Sheehan, mother of a fallen US Army soldier who was killed in Iraq who is leading a protest near President Bush's Crawford, TX farm this week in an attempt to ask him why her son died, is flip-flopping from previous statements where she seems to praise the President. Here's the previous quotes that Drudge supplies to bolster his side of the story:

"'I now know he's sincere about wanting freedom for the Iraqis,' Cindy said after their meeting. 'I know he's sorry and feels some pain for our loss. And I know he's a man of faith.' "The meeting didn't last long, but in their time with Bush, Cindy spoke about Casey and asked the president to make her son's sacrifice count for something. They also spoke of their faith. "The trip had one benefit that none of the Sheehans expected. "For a moment, life returned to the way it was before Casey died. They laughed, joked and bickered playfully as they briefly toured Seattle. For the first time in 11 weeks, they felt whole again. "'That was the gift the president gave us, the gift of happiness, of being together,' Cindy said."

Now, contrast that with some of the quotes with context included--an amazing jouralistic maneuover that Drudge often ignores to make his smears--from the originaly story, which has been acquired by Raw Story:

"But as their meeting with the president approached, the family was faced with a dilemma as to what to say when faced with Casey's commander-in-chief." "We haven't been happy with the way the war has been handled," Cindy said. "The president has changed his reasons for being over there every time a reason is proven false or an objective reached." "...But in the end, the family decided against such talk, deferring to how they believed Casey would have wanted them to act. "...We have a lot of respect for the office of the president, and I have a new respect for him because he was sincere and he didn't have to take the time to meet with us," Pat said. Drudge cites a later quote in which Cindy does praise Bush for giving them an audience. "I now know he's sincere about wanting freedom for the Iraqis," Cindy said after their meeting. "I know he's sorry and feels some pain for our loss. And I know he's a man of faith." "The trip had one benefit that none of the Sheehans expected," the Reporter notes. "For a moment, life returned to the way it was before Casey died. They laughed, joked and bickered playfully as they briefly toured Seattle. For the first time in 11 weeks, they felt whole again." "That was the gift the president gave us, the gift of happiness, of being together," Cindy said. Since the meeting, Cindy has soured on Bush; she feels that she didn't convey her true feelings at their first meeting, and is holding vigil outside Bush's Crawford, Texas ranch. "I plan on staying here the entire month of August or until he comes out to talk to me," she told reporters. Sheehan told reporters she wants to ask "why (Bush's twin daughters) Jenna and Barbara and the other children of the architects of this disastrous war are not in harm's way, if the cause is so noble."

Yes, that's quite a gift the President gave the Sheehans--an opportunity to mourn a loved one for no apparent reason (no WMDs, no yellowcake, etc., etc.) And now it looks like Sheehan will be arrested on Thursday:

Cindy Sheehan phoned me from Texas a few minutes ago to say that she's been informed that beginning Thursday, she and her companions will be considered a threat to national security and will be arrested. Coincidentally, Thursday is the day that Rice and Rumsfeld visit the ranch, and Friday is a fundraiser event for the haves and the have mores. Cindy said that she and others plan to be arrested.