It's Official: Sheehan Seeking Run Against Speaker Pelosi

Cindy Sheehan, the anti-American lunatic whose 15 minutes of fame should have expired long ago, is filing the requisite papers to run for Congress against Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). That's right, Sheehan is running against the Speaker of the House because Pelosi couldn't push the leftist agenda to lose the war in Iraq by retreating in defeat.

Sheehan was at San Francisco City Hall on Friday to take out papers for her independent run for Congress, but without those signatures from voters in the district, her name won't show up on the ballot.

"It's an uphill battle," said Sheehan, who vowed to run against Pelosi in July after the speaker refused to start impeachment proceedings against President George Bush. "But I'm excited about the signature-gathering process. It's going to be an opportunity to talk to people about our campaign."

The 50-year-old Sheehan, whose son, Casey, was killed while serving in Iraq in 2004, became the public face of the anti-war movement when she mounted a demonstration outside Bush's Texas ranch that lasted from 2005 to 2007.

Even after pleading exhaustion and closing down "Camp Casey" in May, Sheehan was a regular speaker at anti-war gatherings across the nation. Since moving from Dixon to San Francisco's Mission District, she's been campaigning virtually full time.

To get the signatures, equal to 3 percent of the district voters registered for the 2006 general election, the campaign will have people setting up ironing boards and card tables on street corners throughout the city, seeking voters who want an alternative to Pelosi. Sheehan has until Aug. 8 to collect the needed signatures.

Getting on the ballot will be the easy part for Sheehan. If she becomes a recognized candidate, she'll be challenging one of the best-known and most powerful Democrats in the country in Pelosi, a 10-term incumbent who routinely collects around 80 percent of the vote in the San Francisco-only district.

Election challenges are nothing new to Pelosi, who has faced token Republican opposition in most of her November races, along with occasional primary challenges. But since she beat former San Francisco Supervisor Harry Britt in the 1987 special election to replace the late Rep. Sala Burton, Pelosi's political resume has been short of opponents anyone other than local political junkies has ever heard of.

Pelosi represents San Francisco, so anything is possible, but Pelosi is very wealthy and has rebuffed challenges in the past.

Sheehan's politics will definitely appeal to the unwashed masses of leftists in the Bay Area. After all, she rubs shoulders with anti-American leftists like [T]hugo Chavez, shouts praises of Fidel Castro, and calls for the impeachment of the Bush Administration.

Still, Pelosi will likely win reelection handily though not by the usual margins.