Cindy Sheehan Calls for Protest Against Obama Iraq and Afghanistan War Policy

Interview with peace activist Cindy Sheehan, conducted by Scott Harris

Speaking to hundreds of U.S. Marines at Camp Lejeune, N.C., on Feb. 27, President Barack Obama outlined his plan to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq. The former senator from Illinois, whose early opposition to the war helped him win the Democratic party nomination last year, said he would remove most U.S. combat troops from Iraq by the end of August 2010, three months later than his campaign pledge.

Disturbing to many in the nation's peace movement, Obama said he would leave 35,000 to 50,000 transitional American forces in Iraq until the end of 2011 to train and advise Iraqi security forces, hunt terrorist cells and protect civilian and military personnel. However, some U.S. generals have stated that they believe U.S. forces should remain in Iraq past Dec. 31, 2011, an extension that can be requested by the Iraqi government.

While Obama's withdrawal plan won support from his presidential campaign rival, Republican John McCain, and some Democrats like Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, other Congressional Democrats expressed doubts and anti-Iraq war leaders declared their firm opposition to the withdrawal plan. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Cindy Sheehan, who galvanized the national peace movement when in 2005 she camped out at George Bush's Crawford Texas ranch, demanding a meeting to ask the president for what noble cause her son Casey, a U.S. Army Specialist, had died while serving in Iraq. Sheehan explains why she believes President Obama is delaying a full withdrawal from Iraq and how his escalation of the war in Afghanistan should be a wake up call to the American peace movement.

Cindy Sheehan is co-founder of Gold Star Families for Peace. Listen to her weekly radio show at CindySheehansSoapBox.com. For more information on the March 21st protest commemorating the sixth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, visit www.pentagonmarch.org

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"Between The Lines" is a half-hour syndicated radio news magazine that each week features a summary of under-reported news stories and interviews with activists and journalists who offer progressive perspectives on international, national and regional political, economic and social issues. Because "Between The Lines" is independent of all publications, media networks or political parties, we are able to bring a diversity of voices to the airwaves generally ignored or marginalized by the major media. For more information on this week's topics and to check out our text archive listing topics and guests presented in previous programs visit: http://www.btlonline.org

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