Palast on Sheehan, et al

[Dan Scanlan <coolhanduke@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

ARMSTRONG BIKES WITH PRESIDENT OVER SHEEHAN GRAVE
By Greg Palast

Crawford, Texas - Celebrity bike champ Lance Armstrong joined President
George W. Bush this weekend at the Crawford Ranch to celebrate the
thirtieth
day of the President's vigil against Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a
soldier
killed in action in Iraq.

Armstrong, fresh from his victory in the Tour De France, is seen here
with
Mr. Bush riding across the symbolic gravesite of Casey Sheehan, deceased
Army specialist, son of the bereaved Mrs. Sheehan.

"We must stay the course," said a resolute Mr. Bush who vowed to
"extend my
vacation as long as necessary to accomplish this mission" and force
Sheehan
to give up her siege of the Western White House.

Armstrong set an upbeat tone when he said, "You know, I overcame
cancer to
become a hot-shot biker.  It takes hard work and a belief in yourself
that
says, "Never give up, never say 'die.'"

A Presidential spokesman said that given the Commander-in-Chief's
limited
work schedule and attention span, he would not have time to see Mrs.
Sheehan.  However, a place in the schedule had to be made for Mr.
Armstrong
because the celebrity peddler, like the President, has several major
corporate sponsors with urgent needs.

Armstrong said he thought it inappropriate to politicize the office
of the
president, noting that his own appearance at the ranch was arranged
by the
Discovery Channel, "for craven commercial purposes only."

Mr. Bush, backing over the symbolic gravestone, said he understood the
difficulty of military families with kin in Iraq.  During the war in
Vietnam, the President was a combat pilot assigned to protect Houston
from
Viet Cong attack.

--
Greg Palast is the author of the New York Times bestseller, The Best
Democracy Money Can Buy. Subscribe to his commentaries at
www.GregPalast.com.