A Day of Rallying Around Crawford

A Day of Rallying Around Crawford
From Associated Press

CRAWFORD, Texas — Demonstrators on both sides of the war debate waved signs and argued their causes near President Bush's vacation home again Saturday, though their efforts drew smaller crowds than summer's dueling rallies.The largest demonstration in town Saturday concerned political unrest in Ethiopia.

About 200 war protesters joined Cindy Sheehan on a private lot outside Bush's ranch, laughing at a Bush impersonator and crying while listening to relatives of soldiers killed in Iraq. Sheehan, whose 26-day protest in August reinvigorated an antiwar movement, held up a picture of 20 flag-draped coffins on a plane bound for the U.S. "This is George Bush's exit strategy from Iraq," said Sheehan, whose son Casey died in Iraq last year.Several miles away downtown, a dozen Bush supporters gathered with their own signs, one reading: "Real America won't wimp out." Throughout the day, dozens of others stopped by the pro-Bush tent to express solidarity. About 500 demonstrators marched to bring attention to events in Ethiopia, which has experienced unrest and violence since the disputed election in May. Demonstrators called on Bush to pressure the Ethiopian government to release detained opposition party leaders, who accused authorities of rigging the polls that returned the ruling party to power.