Washington, 2007/05/31, IRIB

Cooperation of Democrats with the Bush administration on the Iraq War has irked and disappointed the leaders of the anti-war movement.

Cindy Sheehan, the symbol of opposition to the Iraq war announced her withdrawal from the leadership of the anti-war movement. In an explicit rebuff of Democrats, Sheehan said she does not know why the U.S. Congress Democrats have bowed to Bush.

Sheehan was referring to the Congress approval of the Iraq War Additional Budget Bill. Democrats finally relinquished their demand about setting a timetable for the U.S. forces pullout from Iraq.

Since early 2004, Sheehan turned into a symbol of opposition to the Iraq War by staging anti-war demonstrations next to Bush’s private ranch in Texas. Her 21-year-old son was killed in the battlefield, a year into Iraq War. In an open letter to the U.S. nation, Sheehan said that her son was killed without a reason and urged Americans to call for an end to the nightmare of the Iraq War.

Prior to the U.S. Congressional mid-term elections, last November, Democrats were voicing their anti-war protests. They vowed in case of winning the elections, they will force the White House to give in to the public demands for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraqi soil. These mottos led to a rise in the Democrats approval rating and their victory in the mid-term elections. But following their domination over the Congress, Democrats gradually distanced themselves from their slogans.

Democrats’ vote in favor of the Iraq war funding bill showed their utmost cooperation with the hawkish White House officials. This, in turn, proved that a majority of Democrats had used the anti-war movement as a political means for gaining power.

The U.S. community has always felt that Democrats and Republicans are not that different from each other and if necessary Democrats are as warmongering and domineering as Republicans. One of the main reasons behind a huge fall in Americans’ turnout in polls is due to voters’ disappointment about the political games between Democrats and Republicans.

Meanwhile, the exclusive roles of the two parties and their convergence in regard to U.S. major policies has never silenced public protests, including anti-war clamors across the U.S. Hence, one can foresee that even with the withdrawal of such figures as Sheehan from the anti-war movement, the protests against this deadly and futile war will continue into the future.

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