Miami Herald: Yesterday in Crawford (shrub's "my life" nonsense) [View All]

(snip)

''Who knew that the beginning of the end of the occupation in Iraq was going to start last Saturday in Crawford, Texas?'' said Sheehan, of Vacaville, Calif., who started the protest Aug. 6 in memory of her 24-year-old son Casey, killed in Iraq last year. ``We're here to change the world.''

In the meantime, President Bush defended staying with his schedule.

`PART OF THE JOB'

Before leaving for a two-hour bike ride with some of his staff and journalists, Bush said he is aware of Sheehan's antiwar sentiments and those others who have joined her protest near his 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. ``And I think it's important for me to be thoughtful and sensitive to those who have got something to say. But I think it's also important for me to go on with my life, to keep a balanced life.''

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.''

In addition to the bike ride, the president's schedule included an evening Little League Baseball playoff game, a lunch meeting with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, 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 Sheehan 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.''

BUSH BACKERS

As about a dozen Bush supporters stood across the street holding signs, down from more than 250 who gathered there Saturday morning, one exchange became heated. A Bush supporter approached an antiwar veteran, and they stood chest to chest as deputies tried to separate them.

When the veteran shouted about his wartime experiences and yelled, ''I earned the right to be here!'' several of his fellow protesters subdued him, moving him away as he sobbed and his knees buckled.

Sheriff's deputies and Secret Service agents otherwise kept the groups on opposite sides of the road, and no one was arrested.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/nation/12376924.htm

(registration required, and i hope this is not a dupe)