Sheehan's war comes to Philly

When anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan brought her protest and budding congressional campaign to Independence Mall yesterday, she had to expect the flowers of public debate would bloom.

And they did.

"She's a publicity whore!" yelled Chris Hill, a pro-war veteran who led a group of about 20 hecklers calling themselves "The Gathering of the Eagles," many with tattoos, denim vests and sunglasses.

"You're disrespecting your son's honor!" Hill shouted at Sheehan, referring to her son Casey, who died in Iraq. "I hope he's going to heaven, because you're sure not!"

"Yes, my son Casey died in George Bush's illegal and immoral war," she said to the crowd, as some of the hecklers blew air horns to try to drown her out.

"They don't have any cogent arguments; they have to blow their little horns!" Sheehan said. "They can't show us where the [weapons of mass destruction] are. They can't show us the connection between Saddam and Osama!"

The chaotic speech lasted only a few minutes, but it followed more than an hour of spirited debate on the mall as supporters and opponents of the Iraq war milled together with National Park Service police hovering close when things got heated.

"Why don't you volunteer and serve?" one of the denim-clad veterans challenged a long-haired youth.

"I'm not going to fight to benefit some rich, white a------!" the young man responded.

An elderly woman in an "Impeach Bush" T-shirt approached to join the discussion.

"Look, you wore your jihadist T-shirt," one of the veterans said.

"Let's end the killing and bring them all home," the woman responded.

And in keeping with the celebration of free speech at the cradle of liberty, there were a couple of wild cards in the mix.

Supporters of Lyndon LaRouche were spinning an Iraq message that emphasized international banking cartels, and defeated Democratic mayoral candidate Queena Bass and her family were on hand, at times interrupting speeches to complain about media bias in the mayor's race.

Sheehan was in Philadelphia a day after a trip to Washington in which she was arrested for disorderly conduct in the office of U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D- Mich. She also announced she'll run for Congress against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

Sheehan said she plans to move into Pelosi's district in the fall and wage a grassroots campaign that will get support "from all over the country."

Asked why she was running against the leading Democrat in Congress, Sheehan said, "They won't hold George Bush accountable, so we have to hold the Democrats accountable." *