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Iraq War Protester Cindy Sheehan Marches to Bush's Ranch
CRAWFORD, Texas - Iraq war protester Cindy Sheehan urged President George W. Bush to "end this madness" in Iraq on Friday in a march toward Bush's ranch.Sheehan, a vocal protester of the war since her soldier son, Casey, was killed in Iraq in 2004, also expressed disappointment with Democrats in charge of the U.S. Congress for failing to stop the war.
Sheehan took advantage of a heavy media presence covering Bush's Easter weekend by leading an anti-war protest of about three dozen people in a march to the security checkpoint outside Bush's ranch.
Sheehan asked police at the security checkpoint for permission to go see Bush and was told no. She and her group set up an altar with candles on top and she read aloud some of the names of the more than 3,200 American soldiers killed in Iraq.
She said her message to Bush was for him to "end this madness" in Iraq before more people are killed.
"There are hundreds of thousands of people in Iraq and America who are dead forever, and there are families who are destroyed forever because of George Bush's policies," she told reporters.
Sheehan started visiting Crawford in the summer of 2005 when she wanted to meet with Bush while he vacationing at his ranch. Bush had met with her after her son died but did not see her again, although he sent some top aides to talk to her.
Bush and the Democrats are on a collision course over the president's request for $100 billion to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Democrats have attached a troop withdrawal timetable to their legislation, and Bush has vowed to veto it if it reaches his desk.
Sheehan said the anti-war movement has been betrayed by Democrats because their legislation delays the withdrawal.
"We think the timeline is now, not 18 months or two years or whenever they feel like it," she said, adding that, "Yeah, people are feeling betrayed."
White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe declined comment on Sheehan's march.
He said Democrats calling on Bush to compromise need to reach agreement among themselves on which elements they support among competing versions of their bills in the House of Representatives and the Senate.
"They need to negotiate with themselves, figure out what their positions are," Johndroe said.
© Reuters Foundation 2002.
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9 Comments so far
Show AllCindy Sheehan is correct about ending this war. It should be stopped now, not months or years from now. This war has nothing to do with 911. It will not make safer but will and has made us hated around the world. We have lost the respect of even our friends.
dear mm johndroe
what is needed, my dear servant of a public servant, is for this administration to take a few steps toward getting itself right with the world - namely withdraw from iraq, from the persian gulf, from afghanistan - share the remaining oil with the world fairly while we figure out how to do wothout oil altogether and bushcheneyricepowellrumsfeldblair et al need to go down to the nearest police precinct and turn themselves in - plead insanity - i dont care - but these people need to bekept off our streets
Urge your congress people to follow the lead of Rep. Kucinich..do not fund this war any more. STOP IT NOW. There is money to bring them home NOW.
You're not going to get near Bush, but a bunch of protesters got close enough to Karl Rove at American University the other day to throw eggs at him. He doesn't have much security. Is anybody listening, anybody with nothing to lose, like someone with a terminal illnes?
I don't think Cindy really wanted to meet with Bush she just wanted to draw peoples' attention to him and his evilness on the holiest of days. She is living the hell that Bush put her in when her son died in this illegal war Bush started. You can see the pain on her face and in her eyes. She didn't have a son to comfort her on Easter or any day this year or last, not since her son was taken in this illegal war. Bush's twins need to get to Iraq pronto and Bush does too along with Cheney - with no security escorts - and we need to see this on tveeee! Now that show would beat out American Idol in a heartbeat!
This "president" showed his true colors three years ago when he refused to see Cindy at his Crawford hideaway.
A real american man – a leader of the American people would have invited her in for a warm Texas welcome and consoled her broken heart. In this missed opportunity, George failed, and gave us a preview of his "inspired" leadership.
He failed. By this cruel slight George and Laura revealed their moral fiber, or lack thereof.
How sad…and how shameful.
truthteller: that kind of thing only reinforces the bad guys. Even Saddam Hussein has holy martyr status in some parts of
the world, (thanks to being prematurely executed before any more inconvenient truths could come out about his connections
with the u.s. government...) While I share your sentiments about Mr. Rove, I think knocking him off would only reinforce the
right.
Wake up people, this site while mostly informative is just playing the game that they want us to. Ask yourself why is there no real change? Why does it seem that there is no difference between Republican and Democrat? Seriously everyone can throw in their opinion of what is wrong with the war, 911, Sadamm, al quada ,etc, etc but it is doing nothing.
Protesting is doing nothing. Electing Democrats is doing nothing.
Look again at our country, we need to start from the beginning.
There is a reason that all of this is happening, most people just don't want to go there. We the people are not in control, that much should be plain.
Research this and maybe those that can stop playing team sports with politics will realize that we are almost at the end game of American Life as you know it.
(did you know that there are 2 flags for our country, one is for peace and one for war, which one have you seen and has been flown for a long time in this country)
http://www.usavsus.info/
Finally check this out, think you have rights, think again.
http://www.buildfreedom.com/tl/afdvtrth.shtml
Cindy Sheehan and the all the other demonstators/marchers for peace speak for millions of Americans. The more of us who get off of our asses and out in the streets the better. Sitting at home feeling powerless is nowhere. We the people have the power(!), but we have to seize it. Those of us who really care have to stand up for what we believe in. A look at the human rights developments of the last 200 years is much cause for optimism. Victory is assured, but the timing is up to us.
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"Man must change or die…
The time for war has past."
The World Teacher
http://www.share-international.org