McCartney Sisters RoundupThey meet
with Ted Kennedy, but decline his offer to drive them around.
After the meeting Senator Kennedy said: "I think all of us are impressed with the courage of these women in their determination to get rid of violence from their community and country.
"We have learned a lot from them. There will be more meetings with them until we see justice.Hillary also sounds a good note:
Mrs Clinton said: "We want to honour the Good Friday Accords and bring the murderers of Robert to justice."Good
article in the Independent on their welcome as heroines.
America often needs a human face to grasp a faraway story. But, this week, it will have no less than five of them - the sisters of Robert McCartney, the Catholic man kicked and stabbed to death in a Belfast pub fight, whose death may fatally tarnish the IRA in the land where its support is strongest.
Gemma, Paula, Donna, Claire and Catherine McCartney arrived last night to begin a four-day trip. Their schedule may have been hastily arranged, but it includes a visit tomorrow to the Oval Office at which the women will present President George Bush with a dossier on the killing.No mention of the fiancee, Bridgeen, who has more or less remained in the background during this story, but is in the US with the sisters.
Slugger O'Toole has a
good post on how the Ulster Unionists don't have clean hands either. This is not "whataboutism". The IRA happens to be taking some well-deserved lumps both here and at Slugger's but the other side isn't blameless either. One of the sad ironies of the Good Friday Accords is that both sides have stopped killing each other, but are now killing people on their "own side".
Spudnik (great blog name) suggests that the McCartney sisters
should have accepted the IRA's offer to shoot the men responsible. Very clever post!
Richard Delevan has a superb post
on the schedule for the sisters and Bridgeen.
