This headline caught my attention yesterday. I met Cindy when she was in Madrid in December of 2006. She spoke at a Democrats Abroad cocktail reception that we organized for her and I can tell you, it was not a pleasant experience.
We asked the people who were guiding her around Madrid, to arrive at our event at 7:00pm. At 6:15 I was walking toward the event location and found Cindy and friends along the way. They were early! And lost! I apologized profusely and guided them to the venue, but unfortunately our guests had not yet arrived. Cindy complained about walking too much, the smoke in all the bars, the noise–clearly she was not happy in Madrid! Embarrassed, I offered her a drink, which she refused. While guests arrived, the others in her group mingled while Cindy just sat in the corner looking unhappy all by herself. Several of my guests and I tried to talk to her but ended up walking away uncomfortably after she refused to talk to us!
Her story of losing her son to the Iraq war is tremendously sad and painful. So were the stories of the others who accompanied her. But in my opinion, it is no excuse to behave badly with people who were there to support her. People came out to listen to her and be moved by her story to join the movement to end the war in Iraq and unfortunately, both for her and the antiwar movement, she wasn’t able to appreciate this.
So, this week, she’s decided to quit her role in the antiwar movement and published a farewell announcement in the DailyKos, a progressive blog. Was Cindy an effective anti-war leader? Read various opinions at the San Francisco Chronicle. For more analysis and some listening practice go to “To the Point” a radio show on NPR (National Public Radio).