Cindy's Crawford: Sheehan Returns to Camp Casey for Remaining Days of Bush's Vacation

by Democracy Now (reposted)

Thu, Aug 25, 2005 7:54AM

Cindy Sheehan both returned to Crawford Crawford, Texas Wednesday evening to rejoin the internationally-known vigil she began two weeks ago. We play an excerpt of an address Sheehan gave at Camp Casey where she says, "[Bush] put our kids in another person's country, and Casey was killed by insurgents. He wasn't killed by terrorists. He was killed by Shiite militia who wanted him out of the country." [

After his address in Idaho, President Bush met privately with military families of soldiers killed in Iraq, before returning to his Crawford estate later that evening. Hours earlier, Cindy Sheehan returned to Crawford to continue her vigil demanding that Bush meet with her as well. The site is named Camp Casey after her son who was killed in Iraq in April 2004. After a performance by legendary folk singer Joan Baez, Cindy got up on stage and greeted the audience. She began by addressing some of the attacks that have been leveled at her by the right-wing media.

* Cindy Sheehan, speaking at Camp Casey, August 24, 2005.

LISTEN ONLINE
AND READ TRANSCRIPTS:
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/08/25/1342228

§Bush Rejects Calls for Immediate Withdrawal from Iraq as Approval Rating Plummets

by Democracy Now (reposted)

Thu, Aug 25, 2005 7:55AM

President Bush mounted a major defense of the war in Iraq this week as he faces the lowest approval rating of his presidency. In his address in the Republican stronghold of Idaho, Bush rejected calls for an immediate withdrawal of US troops from Iraq and played up the case of a military mother who supported the Iraq war in what seemed a direct contrast to Cindy Sheehan.
---

President Bush mounted a major defense of the war in Iraq this week as he faces the lowest approval rating of his presidency. On Wednesday, Bush spoke in Idaho before an audience of about 9,500 people, including members of the Idaho National Guard and other military branches. Idaho is one of Bush's strongest centers of support. The address followed one on Tuesday in the Republican stronghold of Utah.

Anti-war groups kept the pressure on the president during his brief trip away from his Crawford estate. About 150 protesters gathered across a parking lot from the arena where Bush spoke last night.

The president's remarks came as Cindy Sheehan arrived back in Crawford to rejoin the now internationally-known vigil she began two weeks ago. She spent the past 6 days in Los Angeles to care for her ailing mother. While Bush didn't say Sheehan's name in his address, he clearly sought to discredit calls made by her and her supporters for an immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq.

* President Bush, speech in Idaho, August 24, 2005
"I made a decision -- America will not wait to be attacked again. Our doctrine is clear: We will confront emerging threats before they full materialize. And if you harbor a terrorist, you're just as guilty as the terrorist. We will stay on the offense. We'll complete our work in Afghanistan and Iraq. An immediate withdrawal of our troops in Iraq, or the broader Middle East, as some have called for, would only embolden the terrorists and create a staging ground to launch more attacks against America and free nations. So long as I'm the President, we will stay, we will fight, and we will win the war on terror."

President Bush also broke a two-year policy of avoiding specific mention of casualties in Iraq and gave a figure about the deaths of US soldiers for the second speech in a row. In what seemed a direct contrast to Cindy Sheehan, Bush played up the case of a military mother who supported the Iraq war.

* President Bush, speech in Idaho, August 24, 2005
"There are few things in life more difficult than seeing a loved one go off to war. And here in Idaho, a mom named Tammy Pruett. I think she's here - knows that feeling six times over. Tammy has four sons serving in Iraq right now with the Idaho National Guard -- Eric, Evan, Greg and Jeff. Last year, her husband Leon and another son, Eren, returned from Iraq, where they helped train Iraqi firefighters in Mosul. Tammy says this -- and I want you to hear this - 'I know that if something happens to one of the boys, they would leave this world doing what they believe, what they think is right for our country. And I guess you couldn't ask for a better way of life than giving it for something that you believe in.' America lives in freedom because of families like the Pruetts."

Tammy Pruett was in the audience with her husband, Leon. Bush kissed her on the cheek after the speech. The Pruetts, who were featured earlier this year on CNN, said they received a call about a week ago from the White House requesting their presence.

LISTEN ONLINE
AND READ TRANSCRIPT:
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/08/25/1342223

§Iraq Veterans, Military Mothers and Peace Activists Discuss Bush and Iraq

by Democracy Now (reposted)

Thu, Aug 25, 2005 7:56AM

As President Bush and Cindy Sheehan both return to Camp Casey, we speak with one of the other founders of Gold Star Families for Peace, Celeste Zappala, a peace activist in Idaho, where President Bush just addressed the National Guard as well as a marine who's recently returned from Iraq.

* Celeste Zappala, mother of Sgt. Sherwood Baker, who was killed in Iraq April 26 in an explosion in Baghdad. Baker was the first member of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard to die in combat since 1945.
* Alex Ryabov, part of a Marine Corps artillery unit during the initial invasion of Iraq in March 2003. He lives in New York and is a co-founder of Iraq Veterans Against the War.
* Liz Paul, organizer with the Idaho Peace Coalition.

LISTEN ONLINE
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/08/25/1342233

Add Your Comments