Armstrong's bicycle ride with Bush gets political

President Bush, an ardent mountain biker, has invited the 7-time Tour de France champion, cancer survivor, and all-American hero over to his ranch on Saturday for a little spin.

But a little backcountry cycling has shifted into some political drama involving the ongoing Iraq war.

For one, there's Cindy Sheehan and other antiwar protesters sitting outside the ranch. She's the Vacaville, California, woman whose son was killed in the Iraq War and wants to talk to Bush about it. Until she had to leave because her mother became ill, she had planned on camping outside the ranch as long as Bush is there on vacation. Reuters reports on Sheehan:

She cited Bush's love of biking — he has a Saturday ride scheduled with cycling superstar Lance Armstrong — in questioning his priorities. “Why don't you take a few less bike rides and meet with people who want to meet with you?” Sheehan said earlier in the day. “This is the nation's work, we're the nation.”

According to The Supreme Irony of Life blog, a local newspaper reports that McLennan County Chief Deputy Randy Plemons says the sheriff's office “is anticipating more action this weekend, when Lance Armstrong is set to join President Bush for a bike ride.” The blogger is glad the sheriff's department is working with people at the camp “to keep things peaceful, but I have no doubt there are those who would like to see things escalate into a violent confrontation.”

 Then there's Margaret Carlson, a columnist for Bloomberg news service:

“On Saturday, Bush will change the subject by having Lance Armstrong to the ranch. I'm all for honoring American sports heroes, but the 60% of Americans Sheehan is standing in for would feel a lot better if he would spend an equal amount of quality time that day with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.”

Then there's Armstrong himself. He has questioned the cost of the war in Iraq when that money — some $5 billion a month — could be going to cancer research, according to USA Today:

“Funding is tough to come by these days,” he says. “The biggest downside to a war in Iraq is what you could do with that money. What does a war in Iraq cost a week? A billion? Maybe a billion a day? The budget for the National Cancer Institute is four billion. That has to change. It needs to become a priority again. Polls say people are much more afraid of cancer than of a plane flying into their house or a bomb or any other form of terrorism. It is a priority for the American public.”

It would be interesting to see how this turns out, especially if Armstrong's girlfriend rockstar Sheryl Crow comes along. If Armstrong truly opposed the war in Iraq, this would be an ideal time for him to state his position to Bush.

But will the press be there to record the meeting? No. A White House press spokesperson says a photo will be made available, but the event is closed to the press.