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George W. Bush has only one sort of plausible explanation for not meeting with Cindy Sheehan: He's the president of the United States, and he's too busy solving the world's problems to have face-to-face meetings with every American who asks, no matter who she is or how much she has suffered as a result of his war of choice in Iraq.
It's not much of an explanation, but it's what he's got -- at least until the president of the United States somehow finds time for a bicycle ride, some fishing, a nap and a Little League baseball game on a single day at his Crawford, Texas, ranch. When that's what his schedule looks like, the president of the United States needs a new explanation. And as Bush set off on a two-hour bike ride with reporters and aides Saturday, he had one.
The president told Cox News that he's aware that Sheehan is waiting to talk with him just outside his ranch. "But whether it be here or in Washington or anywhere else," he said, "there's somebody who has got something to say to the president, that's part of the job. And I think it's important for me to be thoughtful and sensitive to those who have got something to say.
"But I think it's also important for me to go on with my life, to keep a balanced life ... I think the people want the president to be in a position to make good, crisp decisions and to stay healthy. And part of my being is to be outside exercising. So I'm mindful of what goes on around me. On the other hand, I'm also mindful that I've got a life to live and will do so.''
Casey Sheehan might have enjoyed a bicycle ride Saturday, too.
War Room is written and edited by Alex Koppelman, with contributions from Salon reporters around the country.
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