Cindy Sheehan's eyes well with tears when she talks about her oldest son, Casey, who was killed in in Baghdad's Sadr City last year, five days after he arrived in Iraq.
Sheehan knows nothing can bring back her son, but she wants to talk to US President George W. Bush. The Vacaville, California, mother has been camping out along a road near his ranch since Saturday, vowing to remain until his Texas vacation ends.
"Before my son was killed, I used to think that one person could not make a difference," she said on Wednesday under a tent where she has slept since arriving. "But one person that is surrounded and supported by millions of people can be heard."
Two high-level Bush administration officials talked to Sheehan on Saturday. But she called the 20-minute meeting "pointless."
By Wednesday, about 50 people had joined her 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 on Wednesday on Internet blogs.
The soft-spoken Sheehan, 48, says she was surprised and touched at the overwhelming response.
But not everyone supports her. Kristinn Taylor, co-leader of the Washington chapter of FreeRepublic.com, said Sheehan's protest is misguided and is hurting troop morale.
Sheehan, a Catholic youth minister for eight years, never wanted Casey to join the military. But he did in 2000 after being misled by his recruiter, she said. Although he also opposed the war, he didn't try to back out of his duty.
Sheehan and her husband are separated, affected by the stress of losing their son. But her other three children, ages 19 to 24, may join her in Crawford, she said.
Many supporters decided to go to Crawford because of rumors that Sheehan would be arrested.
But no protesters will be arrested unless they trespass on private property or block the road, said Captain Kenneth Vanek of the McLennan County Sheriff's Office.
Nearly 40 Democratic lawmakers from Congress have asked Bush to talk to her. On Wednesday, a coalition of anti-war groups in Washington also called on Bush to speak with her.
"Cindy Sheehan has become the Rosa Parks of the anti-war movement," said the Rev. Lennox Yearwood, leader of the Hip Hop Caucus, an activist group.
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