THE MOVEMENT Antiwar groups bicker over Sheehan BY JOHN MCCARTHY

Maine Veterans for Peace had planned to counter the Blue Angels flying demonstration Saturday in Brunswick with an appearance by Bush critic Cindy Sheehan, whose son was killed in Iraq. But, according to MVP member Jack Bussell, Sheehan backed out due to "interference" from former Maine congressman Tom Andrews, something Andrews denies.

Speaking after getting word of the cancellation, Bussell says Sheehan had agreed to appear at the September 10 rally at the end of August, only to renege a short time later. He says the change of heart came after Andrews warned her that the Brunswick rally would appear "anti-base" in light of the government’s ongoing base realignment and closure process.

"Who is he to interfere with our program? We take it personally, and we feel it was a very underhanded way to go about it," says Bussell.

The Brunswick rally, which went off without Sheehan and featured keynote speaker Kathy Kelly of Voices in the Wilderness, was planned before the decision to close the naval air station was made, says Bussell, who added that its focus was opposition to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He questions Andrews’ motives and the mission of the organization he heads, Win Without War.

"Win Without War and Move On are very thinly veiled Democratic Party organizations," says Bussell. "We would call them ‘antiwar-like.’ Veterans for Peace’s consistent goal has been to abolish war as an instrument of national policy."

According to Bussell, Maine Veterans for Peace had to deal not only with Sheehan’s absence, but the loss of about a thousand dollars in airline tickets they’d paid for to bring her to Maine. It’s a setback the group doesn’t take lightly.

Andrews strongly denies Bussell’s claim of interference and his characterization of Win Without War.

"I don’t know how much Jack knows about our work. I don’t know how he’s based his opinion of us, and I’ll just leave it at that," says Andrews, speaking by phone from his Washington, DC, office.

Andrews says his group is both "non-partisan" and leading the opposition to the war. He says he advised Sheehan on her antiwar campaign but never intended to interfere with the Brunswick rally.

"I had no knowledge of commitments to anyone," says Andrews.

According to Andrews his role in planning the campaign currently taking Sheehan around the country was purely advisory.

"I didn’t say specifically, ‘Go here, go there.’ I said, ‘Here are the factors you should look at in making your decisions’," says Andrews

Asked if he cautioned Sheehan against stepping on the BRAC sensitivities of the Brunswick area, Andrews says he was sure the naval air station was one of the many factors discussed.

"It’s certainly something to be considered, a military facility that’s closing and jobs that are being lost, and a very challenging situation for the local community."

According to a spokesperson, Sheehan did not have time to be interviewed for this story. However, Sheehan did reply by email, noting that she agreed to come to Brunswick before the launch of the Camp Casey to Congress and Meet with the Moms campaigns. She says she hoped Maine Veterans for Peace would invite her back at a "more convenient time."