Washington – Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan pledged Wednesday to “force change to happen” during protest speeches outside the White House and Capitol.
Sheehan arrived in Washington after a three-week cross- country bus tour that began near President Bush’s ranch in Texas.
She is expected to participate in an anti-war rally Saturday that organizers hope will draw tens of thousands of people.
Sheehan, whose 24-year-old son, Army Spec. Casey Sheehan, was killed last year in Iraq, wants Bush to explain why he sent the United States to war and say what steps he will take to end the conflict.
“This is where we will force change to happen because we the people of America are the checks and balances on this government,” she said. “And we will end this war.”
Sheehan’s one-woman protest in Texas in August re-energized the anti-war movement as well as supporters of the U.S.-led invasion. Rallies in opposition to the anti-war demonstrators also are set for this weekend in the capital.
“I think she should go home,” said Leslie Denunzi of Los Angeles who was outside the White House when Sheehan arrived to drop off a letter to Bush. The group Win Without War purchased ads for today’s editions of 14 newspapers, including The Washington Post, The Denver Post and USA Today.
