Posted on 08/13/2005 11:55:08 PM PDT by kristinn
CRAWFORD, Texas – President Bush, noting that lots of people want to talk to the president and ‘‘it's also important for me to go on with my life,'' on Saturday defended his decision not to meet with the grieving mom of a soldier killed in Iraq.
Bush said he is aware of the anti-war sentiments of Cindy Sheehan and others who have joined her protest near the Bush ranch.
‘‘But whether it be here or in Washington or anywhere else, there's somebody who has got something to say to the president, that's part of the job,'' Bush said on the ranch. ‘‘And I think it's important for me to be thoughtful and sensitive to those who have got something to say.''
‘‘But,'' he added, ‘‘I think it's also important for me to go on with my life, to keep a balanced life.''
The comments came prior to a bike ride on the ranch with journalists and aides. It also came as the crowd of protesters grew in support of Sheehan, the California mother who came here Aug. 6 demanding to talk to Bush about the death of her son Casey. Sheehan arrived earlier in the week with about a half dozen supporters. As of Saturday there were about 300 anti-war protestors and approximately 100 people supporting the Bush administration.
Sheehan is seeking a justification for the war, as well as her son's death.
‘‘I don't want comfort from him,'' she said Friday. ‘‘I want answers. I want the truth.''
Bush on Saturday said, ‘‘I've heard their complaints about my policy. I think it would be a big mistake to withdraw immediately from Iraq, which is what they're suggesting we do.''
In addition to the two-hour bike ride, Bush's Saturday schedule included an evening Little League Baseball playoff game, a lunch meeting with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, a nap, some fishing and some reading.
‘‘I think the people want the president to be in a position to make good, crisp decisions and to stay healthy,'' he said when asked about bike riding while a grieving mom wanted to speak with him. ‘‘And part of my being is to be outside exercising.''
‘‘So I'm mindful of what goes on around me,'' Bush added. ‘‘On the other hand, I'm also mindful that I've got a life to live and will do so.''
Pro- and anti-war forces continued to gather in Crawford and demonstrators held dueling rallies on Saturday.
“We speak out ... so that your loved one can be next to you and not in a picture,” Fort Worth resident Beatriz Saldivar told anti-war demonstrators at Crawford's Tonka Park.
Saldivar's nephew, 23-year-old Army Sgt. Daniel Torres, was killed Feb. 4 by a bomb blast during patrol duty in northern Iraq.
Saldivar was among the seven speakers who lost a family member in the Iraq war. Veterans and families of servicemembers also spoke at the event, which was sponsored by several anti-war organizations including Military Families Speak Out, Gold Star Families for Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War and Veterans For Peace.
There have been no arrests as the protests enter into the second week.
Raoul Deming of Takoma Park, Md., led a pro-Bush counter rally at the opposite site of the city park. The event was organized by Free Republic, a conservative grassroots organization. It drew about 75 people at its height.
Deming was critical of Sheehan and the various anti-war organizations who are supporting her cause, and suggested that such groups help to fan the insurgent uprising in Iraq.
“They're trying to market grief,” Deming said from the bed of a pickup truck. “That's why they want to see photos of coffins. That's why they want to see the amputees.”
Kim Barr, 48, of Killeen, said he wanted to voice his support of the U.S. military.
Barr said he felt compelled to do so in support of his neighbors, many of whom are stationed at nearby Fort Hood.
“If (Cindy Sheehan) went to Killeen, she wouldn't have been there for long,” he said, noting that support for the military in Killeen is one-sided.
got a little nose job too... :D
LOL!!!! How COULD I miss that????????
HAHAHAHAHAAAAA
Bless her heart.
What do you think is not flattering?
Freepers Rock!!!
There was a very sappy photo of this gal in today's Japan Times. I didn't have the stomach to read the story.
 SHEEHAN |
` He could say that he believes her son was an honorable person who volunteered to serve our country, and died in the noble cause of liberating a people from a brutal dictator, in order to give hope , so that they, and other Muslim countries, will choose something other than terrorism as a way of life.
He could say that he's very sorry she doesn't see her son's sacrfice in that way.
That is so scary....I think I'm gonna have a nightmare
I love this part:
"On the other hand, I'm also mindful that I've got a life to live and will do so."
Get a life Cindy. One that doesn't betray the mission your son gave his life for.
In other words...She's not worth it.
bookmark.
Come on.
Kim Barr, 48, of Killeen, said he wanted to voice his support of the U.S. military.Thought you all might be interested in this. Some great quotes here from freepers...although they did cut the numbers in half.
Barr said he felt compelled to do so in support of his neighbors, many of whom are stationed at nearby Fort Hood.
“If (Cindy Sheehan) went to Killeen, she wouldn't have been there for long,” he said
17 paragraphs into the story before this Leftist rag of a paper even mentions a counter-protest to Cindy. I guess that's what the MSM calls 'balance'.
I'm so happy to see my nuclear-free hometown represented so well by the inimitable Doctor Raoul Deming.
Thank you, doc.
Attaboys all around.
Are they camped on private property with the owners permission ?
And for the record, our "crowd" was somewhere between 150-175 people. It's impossible to get an accurate number, as people came and went during the day.
There was one family who came quite a distance. It consisted of a mother, father, and 8 adopted kids. These people stole my heart. Among the children were 3 in wheel chairs, and most of the rest had either physical or mental handicaps. They were a racial assortment of children, and it was quite evident that these children were loved and well cared for. The only thing I could think to say to the lady was that she was certainly doing the Lord's work.
Sure haven't seen anything about them in any of the news reports, have we?
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