“Bush supporters gathered for an event marking the culmination of the "You don't speak for me, Cindy!" tour, which started last week in California. The crowd of about 1,500 chanted, "Cindy, go home!"” (MyWay)

Now that they have tripled the population of Crawford, at what point will someone back down and end this? It has gone too long too far. The media has made Cindy Sheehan into an exhibit, and Bush supporters have drawn their line in the sand vowing not to let a repeat of Vietnam era protests rule the day.

There looks to be no recourse in sight. Both sides are now fueled with the idea they their side is “winning”, when in reality, this has only distracted all of America from the real issues at hand.

Iraq needs some strategy changes. The situation has changed some, but our tactics are still trying to maintain a political correctness that may jeopardize the mission. We don’t need to pull out, we don’t need to cut and run… AGAIN! But we cannot delude ourselves. A success in Iraq would mean a devastating blow against global Islamic radicalism. It would upset the power base by establishing a solid pro-US democracy, something virtually non-existent in the Mid-East now.

Both sides, to me, are wrong. Anti-Bush groups don’t see the world picture. They see their narrow political picture of trying to win the next elections. They will use anything (including a vulnerable mother) to discredit Bush. They do not care what ramifications it has on the US image, or the US security. They are willing to create a bigger mess in the world now with the hope that they will be able to clean it up. Make no mistake, this is costing lives.

Pro-Bush groups don’t see the world picture. They don’t understand that this level of support for the administration tells the President that we will accept anything they choose to do, regardless of result. The administration has allowed military decisions on strategy and tactics to be overshadowed by PR and press advantages. This works in Washington but not on the battle field. We cannot have troops dying because they are in amphibious assault vehicles (on dry land) instead of a tank. Make no mistake, these policies are costing lives.