Sheehan Qualifies To Challenge Pelosi

SAN FRANCISCO — Cindy Sheehan, an icon of the anti-war movement, has qualified to challenge House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her seat in Congress.

Sheehan, 51, says Pelosi failed to persuade her party to end funding for the Iraq war after Democrats reclaimed the House majority in the 2006 midterm elections. She also accused the speaker of failing to hold the administration accountable for the administration's warrantless wiretapping program.

Sheehan, who lost her son in the war, is best known for beginning a vigil outside President Bush's Texas ranch in August 2005.

"I feel like Nancy Pelosi, as the Democratic leader, has failed our country miserably, funding for more war," Sheehan said Monday. "The speaker's failed to hold George Bush and Dick Cheney accountable."

San Francisco election officials on Monday said Sheehan turned in 214 more valid signatures than the 10,198 she needed to qualify for the November ballot as an independent candidate for the 8th Congressional District seat.

The speaker welcomes the challenge, said Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill.

"The speaker has the highest respect for Cindy Sheehan. Ms. Sheehan lost her son in the Iraq war and has the right _ as every American has _ to run for office," Hammill said in a statement.

Pelosi, 67 and in her 11th term, has said she is disappointed that Democrats have not been able to stop the war in Iraq. Last year, the House passed legislation giving Bush $70 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with no deadlines for troop withdrawal.

Pelosi won her 2006 campaign with 80 percent of the vote. Sheehan also will be at a distinct financial disadvantage as she takes on one of the most powerful politicians in the country.

She said her campaign has collected more than $300,000, compared with nearly $2.4 million collected by Pelosi through the end of June.

The other candidate on the ballot for the 8th district seat is Republican Dana Walsh.

Comments

[AurigaRa]

YAY!
Time t'o send her more money,

Nancy's on her big book tour (sales are NOT good) and avoiding questions about impeachment from folks attending her presentations. I'm for impeaching her as well.



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[Marshall Lucky]

Cindy Sheehan did more to stop Bush than any member of Congress. If I lived in that district, I'd vote for Sheehan. Pelosi and the other Democowards are the reason the war will go on for at least another year, meaning they will have supported the war for almost as long as the Republitards. That also means the Democowards are responsible for every dead American and Iraqi from January 2007 to at least 2010.

Assuming Obama keeps his word of course.

[AurigaRa]

agree
and to those who say she's not experienced enough, doesnt have the connection­s...well
she couldn't possibly do any worse than Pelosi.

[donaldw6]

I wish I could vote for Cindy. She may not be a political insider, but she's bright enough, and she's honest. I'd take her over Nancy "Impeachment is off the table" Pelosi any day of the week!

Send a big, loud message to all those in Congress who think they can be complicit and get away with it, Cindy. We're cleaning house, if we have to do it a seat at a time!

[Eric8sf]

As a registered voter in SF I was more than happy to be one of those people who signed that petition for Cindy. Nancy had the power to do the right thing but failed to act on it. She took the safe road and let down her consituents miserably. There has to be a price to pay for her appeasemtn to Bush and co.

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

Best news I've had all day.

[lovesds]

cindy needs to get a life. this woman is a candidate for one reason. anti-war. how some people will fall for anything these days so something.

[jones]

Wow... That would be interesting to see Cindy Sheehan in politics. I don't know what she is like personally but she certainly earned my respect for what she did out there in that Texas brush country that hot August.

[Nonamnesiac]

I was amazed to see so many two-bit Democratic Party sycophants on this blog actually making nasty comments about Cindy and her son and acting as if Bush-enabl­er/collabo­rator Pelosi was competent. The sickophants pontificate about how "Washington works", acting as if Pelosi knows and Cindy doesn't. The sickophants ignore Pelosi started out neutering the Democrats by taking their legitimate, Constitutionally required equalizer -- impeachment -- off the table, even though 22 Republican Senators were up for reelection in November, 08 and over 70% of the people wanted a change in direction and understood that Bush and Cheney have committed proven high crimes and misdemeanors.

Go Cindy and screw the Nader-baiting, Democratic Party sickophants, who make up crap about having to have 60 Senators to do something when they pass the legislation to fund the war they were elected to end.

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

HUZZAH!

Honorary Huffpick!

[realityczech4u]

You raise the issue of Pelosi's competence. Pelosi has clearly proven that she is not capable of doing the job that she was elected to do and is a textbook example of the Peter Principle. Now competence as it applies to Cindy Sheehan is another story altogether. Since Cindy will be vastly outfunded by Pelosi she has next to no chance of winning since it all comes down to money in the end. But in the off chance that she would be elected, it should be mandatory that she undergo psychiatric testing to determine if she is mentally competent to hold public office. The woman gives every appearance of being clearly unhinged, including paranoic belief in the "Controlled Demolition" conspiracy theory vis-a-vis the WTC, but in fairness to her this should be determined by professionals.

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

I'll go against the "devil you know" theory, and roll the dice with Sheehan.

Litmus test... What would benefit this nation more:
Two more years of Pelosi as Speaker, or...
Getting out of Iraq Nam?

I think that's a no-brainer.

[mosh]

Yikes, a test to determine competency to hold public office! That should clear out most of Washington pretty darn quick.

Given the fact that criminals have run Washington for 7 plus years and still do without any consequence for the illegal actions Cindy's paranoia if it does indeed exist, would almost seem warranted.

This administration has gotten away with murder quite literally. That should make everyone of us suspicious.

[macaframa]

finally huffingtonpost, supposedly an alternative to the msm, has reported on this...

[Tropiholic]

pelosi has been a HUGE disappointment!

[Bobleblah1]

Cindy we're behind you and now that its official, we all will be spreading the word and raising your profile.
Nancy Pelosi is an enemy of the progressive movement and a purveyor of lawlessness.

If you want to live in a nation of laws, remove lawless government officials,
Nancy Pelosi is without principle or pride, usually you can get by with one of the two, but when you have none of the two, you forfeit any claim to leadership.

[ErikW65]

Exactly. You'd be a better Speaker than Nancy Pelosi!

[TovSquirrel]

My pet snake would do a better job.

[JennyJay]

I have always assumed that San Francisco was full of smart people, so maybe they will be smart
enough to dump Nancy because she is nothing but a polictical dinosaur, part of the good ole boys
power-corrupted network. Justice matters to America, but not to Congress, otherwise they would
care enough to IMPEACH BUSH/CHENEY.

[progressivelady]

I love her shirt, Iam sure she is still suffering ,she lost her son, time never mends those wounds

[Schvenzlerman]

I guess the only question is whether Pelosi or the Republican draw the conservative vote.

[mike53]

Well I guess if Maxine Waters can be in congress anybody can, even Sheehan.