I feel sorry for Cindy Sheehan. She's lost her son, she's lost her marriage, and if she stands out in the Texas heat too much longer, she's gonna lose her mind.

It's hard to avoid reading about her, and even harder not to form an opinion about her: radical left wing goon, virtuous preserver of American values, anti-war catalyst, anti-semite, dangerously misinformed, divorcee, insane, patron saint of the anti-war movement, and C List celebrity. But, everyone is asking themselves, what do I think?

First, in one of the millions of stories generated by her protest, I read that her son joined the military out of the blue. He didn't talk it over with his parents, he just showed up one day and said "I joined the army!"

While I did not join the military, several of my high school friends did, and they discussed the move with their families. Why didn't Casey talk to Cindy? Could it be that he knew what her reaction would be? That she might be angry? That she might object?

Second, her son, Casey Sheehan, was killed in Iraq in a rocket attack. No parent should ever lose a child. Often, parents that do lose a child cannot deal with their greif together and divorce. No shame in that.

Third, Sheehan says she wants to meet with Bush so he can explain why her son had to die. But for some reason, she didn't ask Bush that in June 2004 when she met with him. She later said he was rude and evasive, or something like that.

I think Cindy Sheehan opposes the war in Iraq and is using the death of her son to get publicity for the movement. I think Casey Sheehan would be appalled were he alive today.

I don't think she's a psycho. I don't think she's deranged. She knows what she's doing.

She is a high profile Leftie who opposes the war. High profile targets get hammered by the Righties. And her Leftie supporters are hammering back.

And as the two sides try to drag the country over to their side with invective, profanity and name-calling, they forget that they run the risk of tearing the country apart.