Anti-war protesters to gather Saturday

WASHINGTON -- Anti-war groups are using a $1 million ad campaign and a demonstration they say will attract 100,000 people to try to re-energize their movement and pressure the Bush administration to bring troops home from Iraq.

Organizers of Saturday's protest, which will take marchers past the White House, say it will be the largest since the war began more than two years ago.

On Thursday, Bush said withdrawing troops right now would make the world more dangerous.

"The only way the terrorists can win is if we lose our nerve and abandon the mission," he said. "For the safety and security of the American people, that's not going to happen on my watch."

Bush did not plan to be in Washington on Saturday, but he will have support on the streets. The groups FreeRepublic.com and Protest Warrior plan their own demonstration on Saturday, with hundreds expected to join in.

"We made a vow after Sept. 11 that we would not allow the anti-American left to do to us this time what they did during Vietnam, which was wear down the morale of the American," FreeRepublic spokesman Kristinn Taylor said.

Taylor said a larger rally Sunday on the National Mall would honor military families.

The public has grown uneasy with the war throughout the summer, and the financial pressures of recovering from Hurricane Katrina, and possibly Rita, could add to that.

Almost two-thirds of those surveyed said they thought the U.S. was spending too much in Iraq, according to an AP-Ipsos poll taken after Katrina. About the same number of respondents said they were not confident how the money would be spent. Almost six in 10 said the U.S. made a mistake in invading Iraq, but less than half wanted to withdraw all forces immediately.

The anti-war effort gained notice last month with Sheehan's protest in Crawford, Texas. But the devastation caused by Katrina, and the government's slow response, have dominated the news the past several weeks.

Still, Brian Becker, national coordinator for ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism), says people have not forgotten about the war.

"People are very angry at the Bush administration," Becker said.

The anti-war groups began an advertising campaign Thursday, sponsored by the Win Without War coalition, with an advertisement in The Washington Post and other newspapers. The left side of the double-page ad pictures Bush and administration officials with quotes about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq under the headline "They lied." The right side lists the names of American military personnel killed in Iraq with the headline "They died."

A television spot, sponsored by Gold Star Families for Peace, is running on Fox News Channel and local cable TV. The TV ad features Cindy Sheehan and other relatives of soldiers killed in Iraq.

Police are prepared for a large demonstration, said Sgt. Scott Fear of the U.S. Park Police.

Days off have been canceled for officers. Reinforcements are coming from New York. Fear said the full force would be on hand, but he would not provide the number of officers.

Police do not anticipate any trouble on Saturday, he said.

"We meet with these organizers over and over again," said Fear. "We don't expect problems. We expect it to be a peaceful demonstration."

The war protests will coincide with planned demonstrations against the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, which hold their annual meetings this weekend. Anti-globalization protesters will eventually join the marchers opposing the Iraq war.

ANSWER and United for Peace and Justice are the main anti-war organizers. The protest will start with a rally at the Ellipse with speakers including Sheehan, actress Jessica Lange and the Rev. Al Sharpton.

Protesters will march to the front of the White House down to the Justice Department and then circle back to the Washington Monument for a concert featuring folk singer Joan Baez.

Other protests are planned Saturday in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle.

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Associated Press writers Rebecca Carroll and Will Lester contributed to this report.

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On the Net:

ANSWER Coalition: http://www.answercoalition.org

United for Peace and Justice: http://www.unitedforpeace.org

Protest Warrior: http://www.protestwarrior.com

FreeRepublic.com: http://www.freerepublic.com