Like a lone ranger standing on the crest of a hill, looking down at a village overrun by amoral bandits, Cindy Sheehan has camped out in front of George W. Bush’s Crawford ranch, demanding justice.

But unlike that ranger, Cindy is not alone.

Those of you who had a chance to hear Cindy’s moving testimony at The Downing Street Memo hearings know that this mother, whose son Casey was killed in the Iraq War, is a force to be reckoned with.

And she is a force that George W. Bush has refused to reckon with, a voice he has refused to hear.

But the President cannot continue to hide in his ranch with his hands clamped over his ears. He cannot continue to ignore Cindy’s searing anger, her persistent questions, her heartfelt grief.

Maureen Dowd wrote today that “It’s hard to think of another president who lived in such meta-insulation. His rigidly controlled environment allows no chance encounters with anyone who disagrees. He never has to defend himself to anyone, and that is cognitively injurious. He’s a populist who never meets people - an ordinary guy who clears brush, and brush is the only thing he talks to.”

Bush will not meet with Cindy because he is afraid — he knows that he will not be able to charm her with a cute nickname, throw her off-track with some self-deprecating humor, or dazzle her with the accouterments of his office.

Bush will not meet with Cindy because he is afraid to look into her eyes — to see the pain that this unnecessary war has caused, to see that his actions have consequences.

One strong woman.

One weak man, afraid to look her in the eye.

It could not be any clearer than that.

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