I am surprised not to see much about the antiwar rally, perhaps because it is still ongoing.
I left around 4 p.m. because I needed to get home. I can tell you though that it was MUCH bigger than it may have looked on TV. We filled up the ellipse, but that was not the half of it.
You see, Amtrak trains were delayed coming from the Northeast, and there were problems with the Metro too. Organizers delayed the march hoping for the arrival of the trains and buses. When we started around 1:30 p.m. 15th street was already packed. It took nearly an hour to get from the Ellipse to the area at 15th and Constitution where the march officially began.
I guess all those buses came in because from my perspective the march was huge. It hardly moved at all! It was all quite friendly too.
And it is good news too. You would expect an enthusiastic crowd, and it certainly was multigenerational and multiethnic. But goodness there were a lot of young people and they were really pissed.
As we passed Pennsylvania Avenue, I looked down it and it was filled with protestors. I think they were queuing up to get on Constitution to get to the start of the march. I don't know what the count will turn out to be. As I said the rally at the Ellipse was a good crowd, but not spectacular. But the march ... it was like protestors were coming out of the woodwork!
It was a great protest, in spite of the sprinkles. People were jazzed up but patient. A helicopter overhead kept a paranoid eye on us but the crowd was quite peaceful. The cops looked bored.
If I have a chance I'll post some pictures later.
Updated: A few pictures!
Cindy Sheehan speaks to the Rally (Rev. Jesse Jackson next to her):
15th Street, in the midst of the protest:
In front of Treasury and White House: