Activists rally nationwide

WASHINGTON — Tens of thousands of anti-war activists rallied near the White House yesterday, hoping their voices would catalyze opposition in the rest of the country and force a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.

The demonstration drew grandmothers in wheelchairs and babies in strollers, military veterans in fatigues and protest veterans in tie-dye. It was the first time in a decade protest groups had a permit to march in front of the Executive Mansion, and, even though President Bush was not there, the setting seemed to electrify the crowd.

Signs, T-shirts, slogans and speeches outlined the cost of the Iraqi conflict in human and economic terms. They memorialized dead U.S. soldiers and Iraqis, and contrasted the price of war with the price of recovery for areas battered by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Riffs on Vietnam-era protests were plentiful, with messages declaring, "Make Levees, Not War," "I never thought I'd miss Nixon," and "Iraq is Arabic for Vietnam." Many in the crowd had protested in the 1960s; others weren't even born during those tumultuous years.

Protest organizers estimated 300,000 people participated, triple their original target. District of Columbia Police Chief Charles Ramsey, who walked the march route, said the protesters achieved their goal of 100,000 and probably exceeded it. Asked if at least 150,000 showed up, he said, "That's as good a guess as any."

The anti-war groups staged smaller rallies yesterday in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, London, Rome and other cities. In the capital, the event was sponsored by groups including the ANSWER Coalition and United for Peace and Justice and focused on a succinct theme: "End the War in Iraq and Bring The Troops Home Now."

A rally on the Ellipse featured numerous speakers, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson, actress Jessica Lange and Cindy Sheehan, who drew thousands of demonstrators to her 26-day vigil outside Bush's Crawford, Texas, ranch last month and was the inspiration for many protesters yesterday. Her son, Casey, 24, was killed in Iraq last year.

"We are here ... to show our government, to show our media, to show America that we mean business, and we're not going home until every last one of our troops is home," Sheehan said to cheers.

Roughly 147,000 U.S. troops are in Iraq. Since the war began in March 2003, more than 1,900 members of the U.S. military have been killed and 14,641 have been wounded.

Much of the anger in the crowd seemed aimed at Bush. "Bush Lied, Thousands Died," read one sign waved by a protester. "Making a killing," said another, which bore a picture of a smiling Bush.

Bush wasn't in Washington. He was monitoring hurricane-relief efforts at the military's U.S. Northern Command headquarters in Colorado and in Texas.

A few hundred people in a counterdemonstration in support of Bush's Iraq policy lined the protest route. The two groups shouted at each other, a police line keeping them apart. Organizers of a pro-military rally today hoped for 10,000 people.

D.C. police said a construction fence was torn down and a newspaper box damaged but reported no injuries or major problems. They said three people were arrested: one on a charge of destruction of property, one on a charge of attempted theft and one on a charge of disorderly conduct.

In Seattle, protesters from as far as Montana and Vancouver, B.C., gathered at Westlake Center and then marched to the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building on Second Avenue and back to Westlake. Organizers estimated the crowd at 5,000, though it appeared much smaller during a two-hour rally that featured Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Seattle.

The crowd chanted "No more war" while carrying anti-war and anti-Bush signs through downtown. Among the marchers were members of the Green Party of Seattle, the King County Labor Council and numerous social-service and ethnic minority groups. Police arrested one protester who refused to clear the street, but a police spokesman said there were no other disruptions.

Counterdemonstrators were hard to find. Dave Loebe, 53, of Federal Way walked quietly along the sidewalk during the march, holding a white flag with a red border and blue star in the center that said "Honor those who serve."

With many friends in the military, Loebe wanted to show his support. "I do this all the time," he said, nodding to the marching crowd and adding, "They have a right to demonstrate." In the nation's capital, protesters planned to participate in a three-day program that will include a prayer service today and culminate in lobbying members of Congress tomorrow.

"I am trying to end the war," said Judy Miller, 65, of St. Paul, Minn., who rode to Washington on buses with her daughter and about 150 people from her church. "I was here protesting before the war. It didn't do much good then; maybe it will do some good now."

Marge Gugerty of Aurora, Ill., a mother of two military sons, said she turned against the war because it wasn't part of the war on terrorism. "They both joined up after 9/11 in a long line of family military service, to preserve and protect," she said of her sons. "That's not what the war in Iraq is."

Margaret Lawrence, 73, came from San Diego with her husband, a Korean War veteran. "We love our kids more than Bush does and we want them home," she said.

There were young people as well.

"This war was started on lies," said Cristin Munro-Leighton, 26, a graduate student from University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, who blames Bush for the war. "There's been no accountability and he's committed impeachable crimes."

Seattle Times reporter Tan Vinh contributed to this report. Material from Knight Ridder Newspapers and The Associated Press is included in this report