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Peace campaigner Cindy Sheehan writes memoir

37 minutes ago

U.S. peace activist Cindy Sheehan, who won wide attention with an anti-war vigil outside President George W. Bush's Texas ranch after her soldier son was killed in Iraq, is writing a memoir, to be published in September.

Simon & Schuster imprint Atria Books said in a statement the book would tell the "wrenching, yet profoundly inspiring story" of how she got over her despair after her son's death in April 2004 by launching her peace campaign.

Sheehan, who is from California, has become one of the best-known figures calling for U.S. troops to be withdrawn from Iraq since she protested for several weeks outside Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, in August.

Bush has said he sympathizes with Sheehan over the death of her son but will not abruptly pull out U.S. forces.

"My experiences over the last year have shown me that one person can make a difference," Sheehan said in the statement.

"True change has only come to our country from grass roots movements. In telling my own story in my own words, I hope that I can help inspire others to activism."

Atria Senior Editor Peter Borland said the book would allow readers to get to know Sheehan "beyond the sound bites."

"Out of unimaginable personal grief and tragedy, Cindy Sheehan emerged as one of the most influential figures of 2005," he said in the statement.

Bush has come under growing public pressure over the war in Iraq as casualties mount and violence drags on, and Sheehan became a figurehead for that discontent.

Bush, who met with Sheehan and other members of her family in June 2004 after the death of her son, refused her request during her protest in Texas to meet with her a second time, but her rallies there attracted hundreds of people.

She and other anti-war activists were arrested in September for protesting outside the White House without a permit, a misdemeanor that carries a $50 fine.

Sheehan is the subject of a new play, "Peace Mom," by Nobel laureate Dario Fo which had its premiere in London last month.

Simon & Schuster is owned by Viacom Inc.

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US anti-war protester Cindy Sheehan hails Venezuela's Chavez

Tue Jan 24, 6:54 PM ET

Anti-war protester Cindy Sheehan, mother of a US soldier killed in Iraq, joined more than 10,000 anti-globalization activists in Caracas, where she hailed Venezuela's leftist President Hugo Chavez.

"I admire him for his resolve against my government and its meddling," said Sheehan, who gained notoriety when she camped outside US President George W. Bush's ranch last year to protest the Iraq war. She said she hoped to meet Chavez later in the week.

Sheehan was among more than 10,000 people from across the Americas who took to the streets of the Venezuelan capital Tuesday in an anti-war protest that launched the six-day Caracas World Social Forum (WSF).

My government should not meddle anywhere, the "peace mom" told AFP during the march, which was marked by anti-Bush slogans.

We must stop the Iraq war, we must not let it happen again, said Sheehan, who has been arrested at least twice while demonstrating outside the White House.

Tuesday's march ended outside the armed forces headquarters, on an avenue usually reserved for military parades. "It's a peace route now," Sheehan said.

Sheehan, whose son Casey was killed in Iraq on April 4, 2004, said she would remain in Caracas until the WSF concludes on Sunday, and would address participants on several occasions.

She said Venezuela's foreign ministry sponsored her visit.

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She (Cindy Sheehan) said Venezuela's foreign ministry sponsored her visit.

CNNGALLUP SHOCK POLL: ONLY 16% FIRM ON HILLARY FOR PRESIDENT
Wed Jan 25 2006 10:50:26 ET

Most voters now say there's no way they'd vote for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton if she runs for president in 2008 - while just 16 percent are firmly in her camp, a stunning new poll shows.

CNNGALLUP found that 51 percent say they definitely won't vote for Clinton (D-N.Y.) in 2008, another 32 percent might consider it, and only 16 percent vow to back her. That means committed anti-Hillary voters outnumber pro-Hillary voters by 3-1. The poll suggests she can forget about crossover votes - 90 percent of Republicans and 75 percent of conservatives say there's no way they'd back her.

Meanwhile, 46% said they would oppose Secretary of State Rice if she ran for President - a step Rice has repeatedly said she won't take.

END