Coleen Rowley to Join Cindy Sheehan Protest

Coleen Rowley, who gained notoriety for leaking classified intelligence after the 9-11 attacks and is now running for Congress as a Democrat, is joining Cindy Sheehan in front of President Bush’s Crawford ranch.

Ex-FBI Whistleblower to Join ‘Peace Mom’ (AP)

Former FBI whistleblower Coleen Rowley, along with a state senator whose son died in Iraq, are headed to Texas this week to join a growing anti-war demonstration near President Bush’s ranch. Rowley, now a Democratic candidate for Congress, and Sen. Becky Lourey will join a protest initiated by Cindy Sheehan, whose son Casey died in Iraq last year. Sheehan started the vigil Aug. 6, coinciding with Bush’s summer vacation. She has said she won’t leave until the president meets with her.
Rowley said Tuesday that she and Lourey would leave Thursday and stay at least through Sunday, sleeping in a tent at the site. They are paying their own way, she said.

Lourey’s son, Matt Lourey, died May 26 when the Army helicopter he was piloting was shot down. A Democrat from northern Minnesota, Lourey was a consistent critic of the Iraq war — she authored a state Senate petition against it in 2003 — but was also supportive of her son’s military career. “Our children are dying and I think it’s time to go support Cindy and see if Bush will come out and we can say, ‘President Bush, what is the mission exactly?’ Truth has been shifting all around and I think we need to rejoin the world community and not occupy another nation,” Lourey said. “But mostly we’re just going to support Cindy,” said Lourey, a Democratic candidate for governor in 2002.

Rowley, a former special agent in the FBI’s Minneapolis office, gained fame in 2002 for her criticism of FBI leadership. She said officials failed to act on information that cast suspicion on some Sept. 11 hijackers in the months before they carried out their attacks, and was later named one of Time magazine’s people of the year for her efforts. Now challenging incumbent U.S. Rep. John Kline, a Republican, Rowley has emerged as a harsh critic of the war in Iraq.

Surely, Jesse Jackson can not be far behind.

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James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. Anderson says:

    What a … revealing way to characterize Ms. Rowley.

    Doubtless, she and others like her could have kept silent, and we would all think the FBI et al. did the very best they could pre-9/11.

  2. McGehee says:

    I think her cozying up to “Mother Sheehan” tells us where she’s coming from. A spike in campaign contributions to Rep. Kline will surely follow.

  3. Mike says:

    Click here to visit John Kline’s web-site and make a hearty anti-Rowley donation…I know I did.

  4. Anderson says:

    See, Jesse Jackson is what I think of when I think “media whore” … somebody who chases headlines in hopes of appearing in them, whatever the issue, where it’s obvious that the important thing isn’t the issue itself, but the chance for Jackson to get some TV time.

    That’s why, whatever her other vices may be, calling Sheehan a “media whore” struck me as so wrong. She’s not one. She has an issue, she’s promoting it. That’s not what Jesse Jackson, et al., do.

  5. Rick says:

    I have put a lot of thought into Ms. Sheehan’s experience, her loss is greatly noted and I feel very strongly for her loss. That is where my sympathy ends. Cindy Sheehan is a collaborator with the enemy. Moveon.org and other fundamental organizations are feeding off of her grief. She is definitely not a patriot. I can almost guarantee if Casey were alive today he would bitch slap his mother. I am a medically retired United States Marine. I am 100% disabled and I would go back to Iraq in a heartbeat if I were physically able. Since the democrats love to feed fear into our nation, her people have a distorted view of what’s going on, so lets look at the facts on why we are in Iraq. Lets make some comparisons too. Iraq is a just war, a war that has engaged the international community for success. These allies of the United States may not be traditional allies, but allies none the less. If I need to list all of the allies who are helping us in Iraq, then democrats are far less intelligent then I thought. Democrats say it is for the oil. What an absurd statement in the first place. If we were there to take Iraqi oil, do you think we would be paying nearly three dollars per gallon? Where is the rational in that. In fact, Iraqi oil is being used to help fund the war and to provide revenue for infrastructure repair. Did we have a right to invade Iraq? We sure did. By the time GWB went to war with Iraq, his intentions were clear and concise. Seventeen UN resolutions that Saddam failed to obey gave the United States authority to go to war with Iraq without UN approval…It was already given. In 1997 William Jefferson Clinton made a speech to congress examining and giving details why the United States has the authority to wage war against Saddam. When the last wave of weapons inspectors left Iraq in the late 90’s there were stockpiles of munitions carrying chemical poisons. Indeed there were weapons of mass destruction when the UN pulled out. With over 3 years to hide of move these weapons, our intelligence as well as Britain’s intelligence made a mistake by not keeping track of where these weapons ended up. I believe they are in Iran or Syria, or buried somewhere in that vast desert. We are not in Iraq to kill innocent people, the insurgents are doing a pretty good job of that already, yet some people still blame the United States for that too. Every time I was sent out on float or an overseas tour, we (the military) have always done our best as ambassadors to our country. We play big brother, we build roads, repair schools and orphanages. We acquaint ourselves with the locals and participate in field meets, bbq’s, UNESCO programs and friendship. If any democrat knows his/her history, we had a difficult time with the German werewolves after Berlin fell. These werewolves are very similar to Islamic insurgents of today. In Germany our troops endured ten years of harassment from these groups of men and women. Planting roadside bombs, sniping soldiers and civilians, assassinating local political figures to instill terror in small communities. Ten years people. And we still occupy Germany today. Where is the outcry of this occupation. None, because democrats are blind to their own convictions. All democrats are focused on is deception, lies and half truths to scare the weak minded. Guess what people we are the United States and whether you like it or not this is our country. We will fight terror no matter where the pocket erupts next. I am proud to be a Bush supporter. He is a man who stands by his convictions. I am proud to be a former Marine because I know that 95% of our men and women serving in Iraq will be a part of history. These men and women don’t need to hear about some stupid lady causing dissent, these troops need to know that the American people are firmly behind what they think is justice and freedom. To the far left tree hugging ELF burning terrorists right here at home, wake up and smell the patriotism.

  6. Bachbone says:

    I used to have some respect for Rowley, but…”birds of a feather” syndrome at least lessens it.

  7. David Howard says:

    Arrest Bush 41 to prevent “another 9/11” … Google and type in “The FBI uses polygraphs to eliminate suspects”