"I Didn't Become A Citizen To Help Bush Mess It Up."
Bush showed up in South Florida yesterday. First, he did lunch. About 50 people plunked down 25k to spend an hour eating lunch with the most unpopular American in the country. Who are these people?

Afterwards, he delivered the commencement speech at a local community college. There, in the heart of the Kendall area where English is the second language, Bush met a crowd of about 600 protesters, protesting him. If anti-Castro Miami is pro-Bush, you can't tell anymore.

Anti-Bush: 6 dozen
Pro-Bush: 1/2 dozen

Those numbers speak of a complex numerical relationship that spells gloom and doom for Bush. As Poppa said, "There might be a little Bush fatigue now." And what's up with talking about one's own agenda at a commencement speech? Different people from all walks of life are saying the same thing.

"Our troops are dying everyday," said Mesa, 58. "This war was launched on a myriad of lies. It has to stop."

We are women of a certain age who sing out for peace and justice," said Vicki Ryder, 64, of Delray Beach, who organized the local chapter of Raging Grannies last January. "No matter what he thinks, George Bush is not the `decider.' This is a democracy. We the people in a democracy are the deciders, and we say we want an end to war."

More local coverage.

"I want to do anything I can to bring the war to an end," said one of the protesters, 55-year-old Thomas Kreycik, a mental health counselor. "We are throwing away money, we are throwing away the lives of our troops for no justifiable reason."

Chris Kirchner, 48, a public school teacher from south Miami, came dressed in an outfit that she said represented Iraq on fire. She was wearing an orange dress and an orange paper crown in the shape of flames.

Kirchner also held a large poster that read "liar."

"We cannot have our children's future spent at the cost of $1 billion a day on a false war," she said. "We are not safer. We have lost this war."

Patty Bazzani, a 20-year-old student at the college, said she came to the demonstration because she supports peace.

"I'm hoping people will come to their senses and there will be a better president in the future," Bazzani said....

Kelsey Garcia, a 14-year-old student from the area, came to the protest with her mother and stepfather. She held a sign that read: "If war is the answer we are asking the wrong question."

"We're trying to fix things, not cause more problems," she said. "Now we've just gotten ourselves into a huge mess that we cant get out of. It's going to effect future generations."

Two more quotes.

I've always been very proud of my country," said Gonzalez, 53, one of the Veterans for Peace who marshaled Saturday's protest. "But at this moment, I'm not."
...
"I'm appalled at the notion that my great-great grandchildren will still be paying for what this man has done," said Evie Brignoni, carrying a sign that wondered why Bush's own twin daughters have not enlisted in the military. "There are a lot of angry people, even in Miami."

Yeppers, even in Miami , Bush supporters have nothing to say.

I came here to support our president,'' said Adam Roig, moments after police pulled him away from his challenger. ``I am here, present -- that's all I'm saying.''

  ¶ 7:45 AM