There's a lot of anger at Cindy Sheehan for getting in the Democrats' faces about Iraq. But if she didn't say it, who would? The invasion has been a disaster from the start. And there wasn't a lot of resistance to it. I know: the Democrats were in the minority. 9/11 was still fresh in everyone's minds. They were lied to by the president. They didn't have the power to stop it. BUT NOW THEY DO.

There's far more of a opposition to the war now, among the American people and the Democrats in Washington. There are signs of progress, timetables being proposed. And if we're going to be realistic, we have to work with them, not against them.

But as important as it is for the Democrats to do what they're doing, there must also be those who refuse to negotiate. Who shout their rage at every injustice and refuse to budge one single inch. They keep the more pragmatic among us from forgetting what we stand for. They remind the powerful that if they don't deal with us, they'll have to deal with them.

When every day means more deaths, when justice is denied every minute of every hour, patience is no virtue, my friends. Patience is a crime. And I, for one, agree with Cindy. You want to call that unrealistic? Fine, then. It's still a voice that must be heard, a voice as irrational as hope itself.