Code Pink to Pete Wilson: No good deed goes unpunished

Published September 3, 2004 5:21PM (EDT)

How did the lone protester who interrupted President Bush's speech get such a good seat in Madison Square Garden Thursday night (about 50 feet from Bush and just three rows behind his California campaign chair Gerald Parsky)? Former California Gov. Pete Wilson gave it to her, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Blue-suited San Franciscan June Brashares, 40, had been standing with the California delegation when the chivalrous Wilson offered her his seat, says political reporter Carla Marinucci, who had to step aside to let Brashares sit down. The grateful Brashares confessed her feet were killing her. She did not confess she was a member of Code Pink, the California-based antiwar women's group. For a while Brashares kept her cover and held up signs of support for Bush, while waving an American flag. But then, about 40 minutes into the speech, she unfurled a banner that read, "Bush lies, people died," yelled out, "Bush lied!" and the crush was on. Brashares was subdued and dragged out by big security guys and Marinucci was sent sprawling into another reporter.

Later, Code Pink activist Jodie Evans managed to climb on a seat under a Fox News skybox and strip, exposing pink lingerie with a handwritten message: "Fire Bush -- Women say bring the troops home now."


By Joan Walsh



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