Posted on 8/22/2005, 1:05:05 AM by rface
Supporters of George Bush began arriving in Crawford, Texas, at the weekend for counter-demonstrations aimed at an anti-war protest camp near the president's summer retreat.
About 350 Bush loyalists on motorbikes roared past the 200-strong camp started by Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a soldier killed in Iraq who has become a figurehead for the US anti-war movement.
Meanwhile, a rival camp was also established in the town, calling itself Fort Qualls in memory of a marine, Louis Qualls. He was also killed in Iraq last year, but his father is a Bush supporter.
"If I have to sacrifice my whole family for the sake of our country and world, other countries that want freedom, I'll do that," Gary Qualls told the Associated Press.
He said his surviving 16-year-old son now wanted to enlist and he supported him.
A rally of conservative counter-demonstrators is due to leave San Francisco today, and wind its way through the south-western states in the hope of gathering more supporters before arriving in Crawford for a rally on Saturday.
The "You Don't Speak for Me, Cindy" tour is being led by Move America Forward, which itself was set up to counter the success of liberal groups such as MoveOn.org.
The tour will include conservative radio talkshow hosts, and Deborah Johns, the mother of a marine serving in Iraq, and will be supported by 60-second advertisements on cable television.
The backlash comes as the Bush administration struggles to maintain support for its policies in Iraq. A majority of Americans now think the invasion was a mistake.
Yesterday, an influential Republican senator added his voice to the growing chorus of critics, saying the longer the US stayed bogged down in Iraq, the more the conflict looked like another Vietnam war.
"What I think the White House does not yet understand, and some of my colleagues, is the dam has broken on this [Iraq] policy," Chuck Hagel, a Nebraska senator, a senior member of the foreign relations committee and a possible presidential candidate in 2008, said in an interview.
The anti-war protest camp in Crawford sprang up after the president arrived for a five-week "working vacation".
Ms Sheehan began a vigil demanding that President Bush meet her to discuss the war and her son's sacrifice
Bump for the good guys, amazingly getting publicity in The Guardian.
The "You Don't Speak for Me, Cindy" tour is being led by Move America Forward, which itself was set up to counter the success of liberal groups such as MoveOn.org.
Being a Republican Senator doesnt necessarily mean you arent a coward. In fact its beginning to look like cowardice is ingrained in many RINO's
Maybe, maybe not. From his Senate Bio:
Hagel served in Vietnam with his brother Tom in 1968. They served side by side as infantry squad leaders with the U.S. Army’s 9th Infantry Division. Hagel earned many military decorations and honors, including two Purple Hearts.
" He said his surviving 16-year-old son now wanted to enlist and he supported him."
God bless this family!!!
Pro-War lobby? Now they are trying to call us lobbyist, IE being backed by big business or something.
They always call our side lobbyist like the Gun Lobby, AKA, the NRA.
Cool! Bet this doesn't get a fraction as much media coverage, though.
I prefer to be called Pro-American rather than pro war. I am in favor of this war but wish it were unnecessary.
Hagel is many things I hate, being a coward is not one of them.
bttt
"Pro-American vs Pro-War"
Bingo! Makes me crazy when I hear the media say the pro war groups... who would WANT war? But, if our President determined that war was necessary, we will support his decision and our brave troops as they fight to protect our great country.
Pro-war??
Let's name the two sides appropriately
pro American defeat
vs
pro American victory
Most reporters lack the moral clarity to even see our side. This headline is simply more evidence of that.
They live under the surface of a sludge filled swamp, where the clear sky is little more than a discredited rumor.
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