400 protesters turn out to march, speak against 4-year-old conflict

Four years after the United States invaded Iraq, the public opposes the war more than ever, but local protesters said ending it will be difficult.

A crowd of 400 demonstrators protesting the war in Iraq gathered at the state Capitol in downtown Santa Fe on Saturday afternoon. The crowd swelled as the day continued, and after a few speeches, protesters marched to the Plaza.

Dan Williams, 59, said he and other protesters are trying to stop the four-year-old Iraq war by convincing legislators across the country to stop funding it. Williams drove to Santa Fe from his home in Abiquiú to demonstrate.

Saturday's march was one of dozens across the country and in Canada. Some protests, like those in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., attracted thousands of participants, according to news reports.

Williams said convincing President Bush to end the war is futile. Instead, he said, protesters are focusing on Congress. "The only way to come close to getting him to back off is to convince legislators of both parties to say, 'Enough is enough,' " he said.

Santa Fe Mayor David Coss said while he favors impeaching Bush, he thinks Williams' approach is a better solution. "Bush doesn't care," Coss said.

Bush has hinted that American involvement in Iraq will continue throughout his presidency. In 2005, Bush said he doesn't plan to withdraw from Iraq, "even if Laura and Barney are the only ones supporting me," Washington Post editor Bob Woodward reported. Barney is Bush's pet dog.

But if most Americans disagree with Bush, it would appear from Saturday's event that only upon reaching middle age or older do they bother turning out for anti-war rallies. The vast majority of local protesters were over 40. Joanna Breen, 21, one of the few young people at the rally, said people her age think demonstrations are "cliché." That leaves an older generation to take the lead against the Iraq war because "they've seen it before. They know the consequences" of war, particularly Vietnam, she said.

Coss, 52, said it's fitting that most of Saturday's demonstrators were his age because that demographic makes up the majority of voters and taxpayers.

Unlike previous local protests against the war, there wasn't a counterprotest at the Roundhouse. War supporters, whose numbers are dwindling, according to national polls, were nowhere to be seen.

A USA Today/Gallup poll conducted in early March indicated that 59 percent of Americans believe invading Iraq was a mistake. A CBS News/New York Times poll conducted in late February produced similar results.

An even larger segment of the public is dissatisfied with Bush's handling of the war. A NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll conducted in early March indicated 67 percent of the public disapproves of Bush's work in Iraq.

Contact Brandon Garcia at 995-3826 or at bgarcia@sfnewmexican.com.

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