Days Of Protests Mark War Anniversary

Demonstrations and vigils timed to coincide with the fourth anniversary of the war began Friday night outside the White House and were followed by marches over the weekend, with at least one more event set for Monday.

Thousands of protesters marched through the streets of numerous cities across the U.S. Saturday and Sunday – most calling for an end to the funding of the Iraq war or the immediate return of U.S. troops.

Sunday's protesters converged in cities including San Francisco, New York, Portland, Oregon, Bangor, Maine, to mark the fourth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq and call on President Bush to heed what they said was the will of the people.

President Bush was at Camp David in Maryland for the weekend. Spokesman Blair Jones said of the protests: "Our Constitution guarantees the right to peacefully express one's views. The men and women in our military are fighting to bring the people of Iraq the same rights and freedoms."

This week, the House plans to vote on a war spending bill that includes a troop withdrawal deadline of Sept. 1, 2008. That timeline would speed up if the Iraqi government cannot meet its own benchmarks for providing security, allocating oil revenues and taking other essential steps. President Bush has threatened a veto.

In largely peaceful demonstrations, about 3,000 people in San Francisco closed Market Street, a major downtown thoroughfare; in New York, more than 1,000 protesters converged in a park near the United Nations headquarters.

No counter-demonstrators were visibly present in New York, as they were at an anti-war rally in Washington on Saturday that drew thousands to the Pentagon and the Lincoln Memorial.

Speakers at the Pentagon rally criticized the Bush administration at every turn but blamed Congressional Democrats, too, for refusing to cut off money for the war.

"This is a bipartisan war," New York City labor activist Michael Letwin told the crowd. "The Democratic party cannot be trusted to end it."

Police on horseback and foot separated the two groups of demonstrators, who shouted at each other from opposite sides of Constitution Avenue in view of the Lincoln Memorial before the anti-war group marched. Barriers also kept them apart.

War protester Susanne Shine of Boone, N.C., found herself in a crowd of counter-demonstrators, and came out in tears, with her sign in shreds. "They ripped up my peace sign," she said, after police escorted her, her husband and two adult daughters from the group. "It was really pretty scary for me."

In San Francisco, a smattering of counter-protesters waving American flags also gathered in what they described as a show of support for U.S. troops.

"It's important to make sure that the sacrifices that we've already made are worth it," said Leigh Wolf, 20, a San Francisco State University student. "This is a war we can still win."

Dozens of police on foot and motorcycles blocked traffic and kept an eye on the crowd in San Francisco, which stretched for blocks through the financial district.

Gary Fong, 65, carried a sign calling on President Bush to "listen to America" as he marched in San Francisco.

"I think the war effort at this point is futile," the retired school guidance counselor and former Army intelligence officer said. "We want to do our part to express to Bush and the government that change needs to be made."

Many anti-war protesters also called on Congress to impeach President Bush.

"I honestly, realistically don't think he will be," said Kate Brundage, 30, a teacher from San Mateo who carried a pro-impeachment sign. "But one can always hope."

About a dozen demonstrators followed the march with a "peace procession" to the San Francisco home of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, where a small group has been camped out since last week. Pelosi has been the target of anti-war protesters who say she's failing to act aggressively enough to withdraw U.S. troops.

Activists confronted Pelosi at her home early last week as she hurried to a waiting vehicle. The event was one of many that activists have staged in lawmakers' home communities and offices in recent weeks.

In New York, where union members, representatives of the Rev. Jesse Jackson's Rainbow-PUSH Coalition and war veterans joined protesters, the procession stretched for several blocks.

"The American people want this war to end," said actor Tim Robbins, one of the speakers at the New York demonstration. "That's the message they sent last November in the election. When are we going to start listening to them?"

Robbins, a frequent participant at anti-war protests with his actress partner, Susan Sarandon, also said the recent revelations of substandard care and facilities at the Walter Reed military hospital in Washington, D.C., are "just the tip of the iceberg."

"You want to support the troops? First get them home, then take care of them," said Robbins.

Police lined sidewalks, and some walked ahead of the protesters as they marched toward the offices of Sens. Charles Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton. Demonstrators carried signs reading "Impeach Bush," and "Not one more dollar, not one more death."

In Portland, Ore., thousands of marchers packed a grassy stretch downtown to call for an end to the war.

"There are Iraqis who can rebuild their country," said Raed Jarrar, an Iraqi-Palestinian blogger, told the crowd. "They don't need someone to come from thousands of miles away to tell them how to treat their neighbor. They are the only ones who can end this violence."

At the end of the march, a small group of protesters left the route and continued walking. Police followed them, and then a scuffle ensued, with police using pepper spray. At least two people were detained.

The San Francisco march appeared to comprise at least 3,000 people; in New York, it appeared to be well over 1,000 people.

Trish Gorman, who rode a bus with 55 other people from Bennington, Vt., said: "The people have to speak. The government is not listening to the people. Sitting quietly at home is not doing it."

She said she supported a "safe and well-thought-out defunding and withdrawal" from Iraq.

War protester Michelle Barish said she had sent a gas mask to her brother, a soldier soon to be deployed to Iraq, but was concerned that cutting funds was not the right way to bring the war to an end.

"If they cut off funding, does that mean I'm going to have to send a bulletproof vest and care packages?" she asked.