Shouts and Support
Protests and surging polls reflect two views of the war
The day after America went to war, a lanky college student in shirt sleeves strolled through a cool and damp Harvard Yard holding up a sign that summed up the feeling of many protesters around the country: "Shocked, But Not Awed."
His sign was joined by others as the crowd grew to about 2,000: "Regime Change Begins at Home," "The Only True Defense Is Peace," and a blast from the past: "Draft Beer, Not Boys." A lone counterprotester held up a sign reading, "I Support Our Troops." Seeing it, Lexy Vanier, a 21-year-old junior from Pittsburgh, said: "I support our troops so much, I want to bring them home right now."
As the TV networks filled the airwaves with pictures of bombs falling on Baghdad, Americans struggled with an array of emotions and a range of reactions. The Oscars did without the red carpet, Lisa Marie Presley dropped a promotional tour, Major League Baseball called off a two-game series in Tokyo, the Washington, D.C., marathon was canceled, and the stock market surged in anticipation of a quick and victorious war. Most Democratic presidential wannabes either scaled back their campaign appearances or modified their tactics. "I'm not going to back off my criticism of the president's policy, but I'm certainly going to change the tone," Howard Dean, the usually feisty former governor of Vermont, said. "There won't be the kind of red-meat remarks that you make in front of partisan Democratic audiences." At a hockey game in Montreal Thursday night, fans booed the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner." America got its revenge, however: The New York Islanders beat the Canadiens 6-3.
Antiwar protests erupted across the nation, paralyzing city centers. In San Francisco, more than 1,300 people were arrested Thursday, the highest number for one event in 22 years. In New York, Times Square was shut down, and 36 people were arrested. Traffic was snarled in Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Washington. There were protests at high schools and on college campuses in several states. And at the University of Florida, Nancy Parkinson, 62, dusted off her peace-sign necklace from her anti-Vietnam War days. "I thought I would never have to wear it again," she said.
In many cities, counterdemonstrators also showed up: In Cleveland, Dennise Linville, 33, held up a sign calling President Bush a hero. "I have children, and if this is not taken care of now, in five or 10 years they're going to be the ones who will have to go in the military and take care of it," she said.
Not all the passion came from the streets; some came from the floor of Congress. Sen. John McCain, Republican of Arizona, said, "I wish American forces in Iraq every hope for rapid victory. They fight for love of freedom." But West Virginia Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd said hours before the bombing began: "Today I weep for my country. . . . Around the globe, our friends mistrust us, our word is disputed, our intentions are questioned. We flaunt our superpower status with arrogance."
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