War Protests Continue Despite Promises of New Administration

Antiwar protests in Washington and California underscore an impatience with the pace of the Iraq withdrawal. There is pressure on President Obama to act more quickly.

Thousands of protesters gathered in Washington and in California on Saturday to demonstrate against the ongoing war in Iraq. While many see the Iraq conflict as a Bush legacy, there is an increasing pressure on President Obama to bring the troops home. The protests coincided with the sixth anniversary of the Iraq invasion, and 3,000 people were estimated to have attended in Arlington, VA. "Lockheed Martin you can't hide, we charge you with genocide," some chanted. Washington protesters made demands for President Obama to immediately withdraw from Iraq - reflecting the first organized antiwar gathering of the Obama presidency. "We think it's especially important for this new administration to feel the pressure from people that we don't want more war," said Obama supporter Pat Halle, 59, of Baltimore, in an interview with The Associated Press. Some antiwar protesters were critical of the Obama Administration, concerned about what they see as stall tactics. Roughly 140,000 troops still remain in Iraq. "Obama seems to be led somewhat by the bureaucracies. I want him to follow up on his promise to end the war," said 66-year-old Perry Parks of Rockingham, N.C. in the AP report. In San Francisco, several protesters were arrested - and there were reports of activists surrounding riot police and throwing bottles at them. Sillicon Valley Mercury News reported that 4 people were arrested for resisting an officer. President Obama may not be able to chalk this off as a Bush legacy issue, as the antiwar protesters made it clear that they are equally unhappy with Afghanistan. The Washington Post reported that protesters chanted: "Hey, Obama, yes, we can. Troops out of Afghanistan." Obama's approach to troop withdrawals in Iraq has been to ship them to Afghanistan. The Washington Post cites the megaphoned proclamations of activist Dave Cahill, 25, of New Jersey, "Obama wants to continue the war."