An Inside Look at Cindy Sheehan's Comments
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This is a partial transcript from "Hannity & Colmes," February 1, 2005, that has been edited for clarity.
SEAN HANNITY, CO-HOST: Before she was detained at the State of the Union speech last night, anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan posed this question during a mock impeachment forum.
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CINDY SHEEHAN, ANTIWAR ACTIVIST: George Bush a few weeks ago, you know, said I don't know, 30,000 innocent Iraqis. Well, even if we take his estimation into consideration and say, OK, it was 30,000, on September 11, one of the tragic days in American history that we'll all never forget, 3,000 Americans were killed. So does that mean George Bush 10 times a bigger terrorist than Usama bin Laden?
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HANNITY: Unbelievable. We obtained that video from CNSNews.com. Joining us staff writer Nathan BURCHFIEL: is with us.
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You know something, Nathan? I've said this before. My heart goes out to her. I feel sorry she lost her son.
NATHAN BURCHFIEL:, CNSNEWS.COM: It's clear, Sean, that she's in a lot of pain over her loss. And she's speaking out about it.
HANNITY: Well, she has every right to do so. That's one of the reasons her son fought the way he did, to defend our liberties and our freedoms.
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But at some point somebody has got to be held accountable here for the statement she's making, saying the president is, you know, 10 times worse, basically, than Usama bin Laden. America is not worth fighting and dying for is another comment she made. She vows not to pay taxes. Her son was supposed to fight for America, not for the neocon agenda to benefit Israel.
Does she just get a pass, you know, completely and get used by these left wing groups repeatedly?
BURCHFIEL:: Well, Sean, she doesn't get a pass. I think there are a lot of people out there who listen to what she says and she's not alone in saying it.
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I mean, Harry Belafonte was with Hugo Chavez in Venezuela just recently, as well, and called Bush, as you know, the greatest terrorist in the world, and Cindy Sheehan agreed with him.
And I think it's interesting that Cindy Sheehan will talk about President Bush as being a liar, or she calls him a criminal and a thief, and that he stole the elections and that he's running the country like a dictator. But she's buddying up with Hugo Chavez, who, as Alan's friends at Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have pointed out to us time and again...
HANNITY: Remember, this, too, Nathan, this is a mock impeachment trial, which is now where the extreme left is trying to go as it terms they couldn't beat President Bush. They don't like his agenda. Their screaming and their shrewdness hasn't helped them politically.
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You know, when I first heard at about 8 p.m. last night that she was being detained and she had been taken out of the gallery, I said that's all the news media needed to distract from the president's speech for this given night. But we did find out that there was a congresswoman's wife that was similarly removed from the gallery for wearing a T-shirt with a political statement. And this happened during the Clinton impeachment trial.
BURCHFIEL:: Right.
HANNITY: So this — these are the rules. They apply to everybody. And yet she's claiming what?
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BURCHFIEL:: You're right. They are the rules. And it's interesting that it's being reported this afternoon that the charges against Cindy Sheehan have been dropped. And CNSNews.com is actually reporting this afternoon that she did break the rules. Title 40 of the U.S. Code, Section 5104 says that you can't have any kind of device that displays or promotes any kind of group.
COLMES: It's Alan Colmes. By the way, Senator — Representative Bill Young's wife, Bill Young's wife, and he was duly upset about it, as I think he should have been, who wore the "support the troops" T-shirt, she was removed.
But Cindy Sheehan, unlike Bill Young's wife, was detained, taken to — down to headquarters, detained for four hours, handcuffed. Why did she get different treatment than the wife of a congressperson?
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BURCHFIEL:: Well, and I'm not a member of the U.S. Capitol police. I'm not sure why they treated her differently, but the fact of the matter is they both did break the rules.
COLMES: They got very different treatment.
BURCHFIEL:: Whether or not — whether or not they treated Cindy Sheehan differently than they treated the other woman who was removed is not — it's beside the point, really.
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COLMES: It's a matter of record. It's true. It is the point. Because I don't know why she's being treated in a much harsher manner for basically the same thing that Bill Young's wife did.
Why is it — first of all, why do you care what Cindy Sheehan says? Is she a person of power? I mean, she doesn't run things in this country. She might like to. But why is it important to hear what she says?
BURCHFIEL:: She's clearly a figurehead of the anti-war movement. She's been since August 2005. She's made herself out to be that. She's been supported by several people on the left who are against this war.
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COLMES: A few but not the majority. Most people who don't agree with President Bush's policies, and I'm one of them, do not conform to the statements of Cindy Sheehan. I don't agree with much of what she says. I think it's over the top.
I, as you and Sean, feel that it's so sad that she lost somebody and this is how she's acting out her grief, but she doesn't represent most people who don't agree with President Bush's policies in terms of what she says.
BURCHFIEL:: She certainly doesn't represent most people in the country and probably most people like yourself, who are reasonable about it.
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But the fact that is she puts herself out there as a figurehead, and there are plenty of people who support her. I mean, the showing at this event Monday night I think goes to show that, that there are a lot of people out there who do believe what she says. And don't realize that she's criticizing President Bush and supporting Hugo Chavez, who is by far a worse — a worse leader, a more vicious leader than President Bush will ever be.
HANNITY: Thanks, Nathan. Appreciate you being with us. Thanks for the tape.
Watch "Hannity & Colmes" weeknights at 9 p.m. ET!
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