(2006-01-30) — Cindy Sheehan, the California woman who parlayed the death of her soldier son into a successful public speaking and writing career, will join Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Tuesday night to deliver the Democrat response to President George Bush’s State of the Union address.

“Our choice of Cindy and Hugo demonstrates our commitment to diversity, and personifies our platform for the future,” said Howard Dean, chairman of the Democrat National Committee (DNC). “Plus, they’re among the few well-known progressives who didn’t vote to support the war in Iraq while publicly attacking the Bush administration for its policy toward Iraq.”

Mr. Chavez, whose generous contribution of cheap oil prevented the freezing deaths of thousands of residents of the impoverished commonwealth of Massachusetts, said his rebuttal of the Bush speech will constitute “a major counter-terrorism offensive.”

Mrs. Sheehan, a potential candidate for Dianne Feinstein’s Senate seat, said, “I’ve never given a speech for a national television audience, so I’m going to spend the next 24 hours organizing my thought, and turning that thought into a good rhyming chant.”

Mr. Dean said the DNC has given Mrs. Sheehan a small stipend for her efforts that should cover the cost of laundering her t-shirt.