Dec. 26, 2005 - Jan 2, 2006 issue - Antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan, who lost her son Casey in the war, staked out President George W. Bush at his Crawford, Texas, ranch last August looking for answers about U.S. involvement in Iraq. She spoke with Martha Brant from London, where Sheehan addressed the International Peace Conference and is currently the subject of a one-woman play.What do you think you achieved in Crawford?
We brought the war into the forefront of American consciousness and started the discussion that should have started before the war. The mood in our country is turning around.
But the peace movement in the U.S. remains small. Why?
One thing that has prevented the peace movement in America is the media. I spoke with 5,000 people in North Carolina on March 19, 2005, and the press called the protest "insignificant." They covered the Terri Schiavo case instead.
You feel like you were mistreated by the press?
They got hold of everything I've ever said and scrutinized it so carefully. They never scrutinized what Bush said. No one said, "Why did you lie to the American people and say there was WMD?" The press found an easy target in Iraq, and they found an easy target in me.
What's next for you?
I'm working on a book about Casey's story. It's about how one person can make a difference.
| No one questioned Bush and said he lied? Exactly when didn't this happen? |