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“We as families of soldiers who have died as a result of war are organizing to be a positive force in our world to bring our country’s sons and daughters home from Iraq, to minimize the “human cost” of this war, and to prevent other families from the pain we are feeling as the result of our losses.” Gold Star Families for Peace

Cindy Sheehan, the mother of Casey Sheehan who died serving his country in Iraq on April 4, 2004, protested the Iraq war by staging a vigil outside President Bush’s Crawford ranch. For almost a year she has traveled across the country demanding answers on why Bush continues to wage what she calls an unjust war in Iraq. Sheehan is a resident of Vacaville, California. At the Crawford ranch, she demanded a second meeting with President Bush and refused to leave until the president meet with her. Her protest in Texas drew national media coverage and created a circus-like atmosphere around her.

The Washington Post reported, “Cindy Sheehan vaulted into national consciousness this month on the power of her story as the grieving mother of a fallen soldier. But what began as a solitary campaign to force a meeting with President Bush by setting up camp along the road to his ranch has quickly taken on the full trappings of a political campaign. Sheehan is working with a political consultant and a team of public relations professionals, and now she is featured in a television ad.”

"Mr. President, I want to tell you face to face how much this hurts," Sheehan says in a television ad. "How many more of our loved ones need to die in this senseless war?"

Bush responding to Sheehan's case with reporters said he has thought "long and hard about her position," even though he disagrees with her about the war.

Sheehan has called President Bush “that filth-spewer and warmonger.” She said, “America has been killing people on this continent since it was started” and “the killing has gone on unabated for 200 years.” She calls the United States government a “morally repugnant system” and said “this country is not worth dying for.”

Supporters of the war accuse Sheehan of “aiding and abetting the enemy” and dishonoring the memory of her son.

Kathleen Parker with The Orlando Sentinel ARGUED, “...Sheehan is no longer just a grieving mother. She's a media extravaganza, a political pawn and a rallying icon -- the Rosa Parks of the anti-war movement, as she has been dubbed.”

The story has not only divided the country, but also the Sheehan family. Sheehan's aunt Cherie Quartarolo on behalf of his paternal grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins declared in an email that they did not agree with the political motivations and publicity tactics of Mrs. Sheehan. The e-mail held, "The rest of the Sheehan family supports the troops, our country and our president, silently, with prayer and respect."

According to The American Daily, “…the underreported facts about Cindy Sheehan is that she has already met with the president. In June 2004, the grieving mom received an audience with President Bush. In fact, a trip to World Net Daily’s website can reveal photos of President Bush kissing the cheek of Mrs. Sheehan.”

Sheehan is now working with a political consultant and a team of public relations professionals. Her cause has also been aided by political organizers who quickly mobilized around her - recognizing an opportunity to cause embarrassment for the president and put a powerful emotional frame around the antiwar movement.

Sheehan founded Gold Star Families for Peace, an antiwar organization that labored largely in obscurity - until now. The group's mission statement reads as follows:

"We as families of soldiers who have died as a result of war (primarily, but not limited to the invasion/occupation of Iraq) are organizing to be a positive force in our world to bring our country’s sons and daughters home from Iraq, to minimize the “human cost” of this war, and to prevent other families from the pain we are feeling as the result of our losses. We are also hoping to be lifetime support for each other through our losses."

“America has a president, not a king. But just like royalty, the nation's commander in chief can keep his distance from the common man or woman….Driven by personal grief, Sheehan does not accept the commonly accepted boundaries between the people and the person who occupies the Oval Office. With nothing to lose since she lost her son, she is barging into personal presidential space and posing rude questions.” Joan Vennochi, Boston Globe Columnist