Chanting "bring our troops home," tens of thousands of anti-war protesters rallied in front of the U.S. Capitol on Saturday to pressure the government to get out of Iraq.The protests drew similar coverage elsewhere, such as this from The Guardian:
Veterans and military families joined some lawmakers, peace groups and actors including Vietnam war protester Jane Fonda to urge Congress and President George W. Bush to stop funding the war and pull troops from Iraq.
"When I served in the war, I thought I was serving honorably. Instead, I was sent to war ... for causes that have proved fraudulent," said Iraq war veteran Garett Reppenhagen.
"We need to put pressure on our elected government and force them to ... bring the troops home," the former sniper said to cheers from a sign-waving crowd.
Tens of thousands of people attended the rally on the National Mall, according to a park police officer.
House Judiciary Committee chairman, Rep. John Conyers, threatened to use congressional spending power to try to stop the war. ``George Bush has a habit of firing military leaders who tell him the Iraq war is failing,'' he said, looking out at the masses. ``He can't fire you.'' Referring to Congress, the Michigan Democrat added: ``He can't fire us.Trey Bohn is a flat-out liar. And so is the New York Times: Protest Focuses on Iraq Troop Increase
``The founders of our country gave our Congress the power of the purse because they envisioned a scenario exactly like we find ourselves in today. Not only is it in our power, it is our obligation to stop Bush.''
White House spokesman Trey Bohn responded that Conyers ``needs to learn the difference between fact and fable, between a soundbite and a slur.'' He said Conyers' ``assertion that the president fires generals with whom he disagrees is flat wrong.''
Tens of thousands of protesters converged on the National Mall on Saturday to oppose President Bush’s plan for a troop increase in Iraq...If you only read the top of the NYT article you'd think that being in Iraq is OK with most Americans, but a few of them have a problem with the "Surge". Hah!
The so-called president took the protests in stride. From the Sioux City Journal: President attends Alfalfa Club dinner
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush ventured out of the White House on a chilly Saturday night to a Washington hotel warmed by a roast of bigwig guests.Nixon sat in the White House as thousands marched, too ... slowly going insane!
The president and his wife, Laura, took a short motorcade ride to a hotel, just blocks from the White House, to attend to the Alfalfa Club dinner, an annual event where Washington political and business leaders gather to give humorous speeches about the goings-on in the world.
Also invited were Bush's parents, former President George H.W. Bush and former first lady Barbara Bush. The club is already a family affair -- the former president's father, Prescott Bush, once headed the club, and both Presidents Bush have also served as Alfalfa Club chief executives.
A number of Cabinet officers and White House staffers, including press secretary Tony Snow, also attended the black-tie dinner at the Capital Hilton Hotel.
The event was closed to news media coverage.
The club is named after the alfalfa plant because its roots will range far afield to reach liquid refreshment. Its sole task is holding the annual dinner. Founded in 1913, the club was off-limits to women until 1994 when then-first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton attended the event with President Clinton.
Earlier Saturday, the president took a mountain bike ride on the grounds of a Secret Service training facility in Beltsville, Md., near Washington. He spent the afternoon in the White House as tens of thousands marched on the National Mall in an anti-war demonstration.