Cindy Sheehan, ambassador for peace?

Cindy Sheehan, the peace activist whose soldier son died in Iraq, has won herself and her cause another few seconds of fame by demonstrating against the Democratic Party congressional leadership. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that her actions shortened the war in Iraq, or the U.S. participation in it, by so much as a millisecond.

It would seem that Ms. Sheehan has the potential to join the ranks of women in various parts of the world who have had substantial impact in bringing an end to deadly conflicts by crying out, "Enough! No more." But she is falling far short of that mark.

For Ms. Sheehan to honor the memory of her son and make a difference in bringing U.S. troops home, she needs to go to Iraq. That is where the fighting is. That is where the problem is. That is where she needs to be. Protesting in the safety of Washington, DC won't do it.

From the U.S. perspective, it might be good to have Ms. Sheehan in Iraq speaking to political and religious leaders with the particular conviction and fervor that can only be expressed by a mother speaking out of a heart broken by the loss of her son. Certainly, the dry unemotional pleadings of U.S. diplomats and military leaders have not had the desired effect so far. That was obvious in the way the Iraqi government handled the execution of Saddam Hussein.

This may be the kind of dramatic move by the U.S. that is needed to restore credibility to its efforts for peace. For Ms. Sheehan, it would win her and her cause a lot more attention than she is likely to get by staying in the U.S. and making cameo appearances at other people's events.

As a start, the next congressional delegation to visit Iraq might invite Ms. Sheehan to go along.