Sheehan announces run against Pelosi

SAN FRANCISCO — A tearful Cindy Sheehan cited her son, killed in Iraq, as her inspiration as she announced her candidacy Thursday for the U.S. House against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Sheehan said last month she intended to run against Pelosi, D-Calif., if the San Francisco congresswoman didn't move to impeach President Bush by July 23.

Sheehan said Thursday that Pelosi had "protected the status quo" of the corporate elite and had lost touch with people in her district, most of whom, she asserted, want American troops out of Iraq.

Nadeam Elshami, a spokesman for Pelosi, would not comment on Sheehan's candidacy but said the speaker would continue to push for an end to the war.

"As a mother and grandmother, the speaker understands that there is no greater tragedy than losing a child," Elshami said. "The speaker has opposed President Bush's misguided war from the start and has focused on changing course in Iraq by bringing our troops home safely and soon."

After her 24-year-old son, Casey, was killed in Iraq in 2004, Sheehan gained international attention by setting up camp outside the president's Texas ranch and demanding to meet with him.

Sheehan said she would run as an independent on a platform of universal health care, making college affordable and improving ethics in the legislative and executive branches.