One war mother that is not so nearly well known as Ms. Sheehan is Delores Kesterson, who lost her son in a tragic accident. While piloting his Blackhawk, he was invlved in a mishap with another helicopter. Though he managed to bring his craft down on the roof of a nearby building, thus saving the lives of sme of his crew members, he himself was one of five that ultimately died.
Ms. Kesterson, like Ms. Sheehan, was also one of the grieving war mothers who were invited to the White House to meet with the President. She was told after the group meetig that the Prsident would give each one of the mothers three minutes in private. She expressed her agreement to this arrangement, whereupon she was throughly checked. She then showed a letter she wished to share with the President, though it is unclear what the cntents of that letter were.
She told Mr. Bush, that she felt the war was unnecessary, and thus her tragic loss. Bush listened to her in the private little cubicle that had been set up for their meeting. Then, he proceeded to remind her of, of course, that old canard about 9/11, when "the country was attacked". Of course, Ms. Kesterson was not impressed by this reasoning, as she in concert with a growing number of Americans-including myself-feel that 9/11 was not the proper justification for the Iraqi War. (though I do feel personally that there were plenty of other justifications which in fact pre-date 9/11).
Bush listened to her with an apparent air of sympathy, and then, to her surprise, asked her if he could hug her. Ms. Kesterson agreed to this request, as she felt that this was a "human" thing to do. But Bush's hug must have evidently left her cold. In fact, her assesment of Bush is perhaps the most important point of this story.
President Bush, she declared, has no conscience. Not for the now more than 1800 American soldiers who have thus far lost their lives, the innumerable others who have been wounded, some seriously, and permanently disabled, not for their grieving families, and not for the far greater number of Iraqi citizens whos elives have been likewise ended or afflicted.
When I heard her relate this account on Fox's The O'Reilley Factor, it resounded over and over again in my mind, and I knew there was a great deal of truth to it. George W. Bush, the President without a conscience. And I knew that there was more than a small chance that this bereaved mother, her life shatterrerd with grief over the loss of a well loved and heroic son, may have seen more perfectly into the soul of the President of The United States than even the most seasoned professional therapist could hope to. It was only a fleeting glimpse, of course, a mere snapshot in time. But such glimpses can indeed provide indelible etchings of a truth that can not be denied, excused, or even explained away.
