> The Post reported the only interesting thing about the rally, namely the
> numbers who showed up. Other than that, the speeches were mind-numbingly
> boring.
-I've heard from and read about many people who share Nathan's take. So may I -ask: What's this in aid of? Stopping a war that cannot be stopped?
Actually, I think this war is eminently stoppable. There are intense divisions in the establishment over this war, largely because it's so likely to be a complete disaster even on its own terms. (See James Fallows in this month's Atlantic). And a large show of antiwar energy feeds the calculations of the politicos in the White House -- read Karl Rover et al. -- that this war is ultimately a loser for Bush.
As importantly, antiwar rallies in the US will strengthen the understanding of allies in Europe and around the world that opposing this war is not opposing "the United States" but only disagreeing with one faction, one that wasn't even elected legitimately. It's probably no coincidence that France and Russia basically told Bush to stick his resolution up his ass this past weekend.
-- Nathan Newman