Washington – Anti-war protester Cindy Sheehan was arrested today outside the White House after trying to present President George W. Bush with a petition calling for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.
Sheehan, the California woman whose son was killed in Iraq and who drew global attention in August by camping out near Bush’s Texas ranch, was arrested after trying to enter the gate at the northwest end of the White House complex, U.S. Park Police spokesman Sergeant Scott Fear said. Charges are pending, Fear said.
Tens of thousands of anti-war protesters streamed through Washington’s streets and past the White House Saturday, demanding the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. Public support for the war continues to slide; 67 percent of those questioned in a USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll Sept. 16-18 said they disapprove of Bush’s handling of the war, the most since it began.
The administration, and most Democratic lawmakers, have rejected an immediate pullout from Iraq. Leaving “would make the world more dangerous,” Bush said at the Pentagon on Sept. 22.
“The only way the terrorists can win is if we lose our nerve and abandon the mission. That’s not going to happen on my watch. We will do our duty.”
