CINDY SHEEHAN IN DuPAGE COUNTY

From your Chicago Tribune:

An anti-war demonstration Wednesday outside U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert's office in west suburban Batavia Wednesday drew peace activist mother Cindy Sheehan, about 100 supporters and a large and vocal crowd of counterdemonstrators. ***

Wednesday's rally in Batavia was one of a dozen or so stops Sheehan is making during a cross-country tour to drum up support for a Sept. 24 anti-war rally in Washington. Other Chicago-area stops included Evanston on Tuesday night and Wheaton on Wednesday night.About 200 people showed up for the Wheaton vigil Wednesday.

Christine Cegelis, a Democrat seeking the U.S. House 6th District seat now occupied by retiring Republican Henry Hyde, was among the crowd."I think this is a good cause," Cegelis said."Sheehan is highlighting the lack of a reason to go to war [in Iraq], the lack of preparedness to go to war and the lack of proper treatment for our returning veterans."

Kathy Slovick, one of the vigil organizers and co-founder of DuPage Against War Now, said: "It's very important for people to see that DuPage residents are not all in lock step with the Bush administration and the people who favor the war in Iraq."