stop being a propaganda tool, page-9

re: stop being a propaganda tool denny laddie War protest splits Sheehan family;

President: Pullout would be mistake

From staff and wire reports

Family members of Cindy Sheehan, the Vacaville woman camped outside President Bush's ranch in Texas protesting the war in Iraq, reportedly have denounced her actions.

In an e-mail to a San Francisco radio station, Cherie Quartarolo, a sister-in-law and godmother of Sheehan's son, who was killed in action in Iraq in 2004, said: "We do not agree with the political motivations and publicity tactics of Cindy Sheehan. She now appears to be promoting her own personal agenda and notoriety at the expense of her son's good name and reputation.'

Casey Sheehan, an Army specialist, was killed in an ambush in Sadr City a week after his arrival in Iraq. His mother since has become a focal point in the partisan battle over the Iraq war, drawing the praise of many anti-war activists and the ire of those who see her as misguided.

In the e-mail, Quartarolo says she is speaking on behalf of Casey Sheehan's paternal grandparents, as well as "aunts, uncles and numerous cousins.'

Casey's father, Patrick of Vacaville, was not mentioned. He has acknowledged that he and his wife are separated, but he has declined to comment on his wife's high-profile protest in Crawford, Texas.

The family's statement, however, added, "The Sheehan family lost our beloved Casey in the Iraq War and we have been silently, respectfully grieving.

"The rest of the Sheehan family supports the troops, our country and our president, silently, with prayer and respect.'

Meanwhile, President Bush said today he understands and respects the views of anti-war advocates like Sheehan, but said it would be a mistake to bring U.S. troops home now.

"I understand the anguish that some feel about the death that takes place,' Bush said.

"I also have heard the voices of those saying: 'Pull out now!' " he said. "And I've thought about their cry and their sincere desire to reduce the loss of life by pulling our troops out. I just strongly disagree.'

Immediate withdrawal "would send a terrible signal to the enemy,' the president said.

"I sympathize with Mrs. Sheehan,' Bush said. "She feels strongly about her position, and she has every right in the world to say what she believes. This is America. She has a right to her position, and I thought long and hard about her position. I've heard her position from others, which is: Get out of Iraq now. And it would be a mistake for the security of this country and the ability to lay the foundations for peace in the long run if we were to do so.'

By Thursday, about 50 people had joined Sheehan's cause, pitching tents in muddy, shallow ditches and hanging anti-war banners; two dozen others have sent flowers. Her name was among the most popular search topics Wednesday on Internet blogs.

Sheehan began her standoff on Saturday, declaring she would stay for the entire month that Bush plans to stay in Texas if he won't meet with her. Since then, dozens of other activists have traveled from across the country to join her, including at least three other parents who have lost children in the war.

"The president says he feels compassion for me, but the best way to show that compassion is by meeting with me and the other mothers and families who are here,' Sheehan said today. "All we're asking is that he sacrifice an hour out of his five-week vacation to talk to us, before the next mother loses her son in Iraq.'