This is the conclusion of a two-part series.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The people who took this trip to Washington are the types of folks who vote for "Dr. Strangelove" over "Reservoir Dogs" by a 24-1 margin. You can sense the frustration within this bunch, and the demonstration should have a cathartic effect. Despite the many political justifications for this protest, a chance to vent is what really inspired this crowd to embark on a 36-hour bus ride halfway across the country.
As helicopters hovered above the National Mall, the crowd was jubilant that it had clearly exceeded the expected turnout of 100,000. By the time the front of the march circled the Capitol, they met throngs of protesters who had not even begun.
The counter-protesters were 18 strong at best count and jeered from 10 yards away through two layers of fencing and ample police protection. They resorted to cries like, "We love our country!" and "Good thing we don't have a democracy!" Are these types really the last people willing to actively support the president's Iraq war policy? From the mid-term elections, to the proposed troop hike, the State of the Union address, and this massive rally, this war has finally reached the turning point for which America has been yearning. It's not in the direction President Bush has decided, but all the decision-making in the world can't alter the fundamental reality of the quandary this administration has created. The legacy of Vietnam is knocking on the president's door, and the clock is ticking on his war.
Following the rally, I hopped in a cab with protest organizer Chris Dols, bound for a local radical coffee shop, Busboys and Poets. Dols asked the driver about the neighborhood.
"It's a war zone," the cabby said in slightly broken English and a heavy African accent. "The people used to walk on the street at night, but not anymore." We sat in silence for a few long moments, digesting a real-life consequence of an administration that wastes countless funds and attention on a neoconservative adventure in the Middle East.
At the coffee shop, Iraq war veteran Kelly Doherty, a founder of Iraq Veterans Against the War, told heart-wrenching stories about her time in Iraq that elicited gasps, cheers and tears from her captivated audience. She detailed the riches of U.S. stronghold "the Green Zone" and the symbolism of occupying Saddam's palaces while families outside the complex begged for food. Doherty went on to accuse Hallibuton of deliberately hampering the war operation, as a contractor explained that the company is paid for the number of vehicles on the road rather than goods delivered. So rather than fill trucks with supplies, contractors would often repeat small shipments of goods. Nonetheless, she didn't blame evil individuals, just the system in which they were forced to operate.
"For all the good that we can do theoretically, a military is built to fight wars," Doherty said. "We can't rebuild a country."
Doherty's military police unit was often ordered to protect broken down vehicles near remote villages. For all of our attempts to win over Iraqi hearts and minds, we can't overcome the nature of a military occupation. After holding off locals desperate for supplies and food for hours, her unit was often ordered to burn produce in front of starving civilians because command determined that giving out the supplies before burning the disabled vehicle would be an undue hazard. As she went on to describe a soldier's torment after running over a sheep-herding child because of military policy not to slow down on dangerous Iraqi roads, my mind wandered to the difficulties in preventing another misguided nation-building project. I worry that the military realignment from smaller local bases to large, centralized facilities will make it easier to sell the next conflict. Because of the local origins of many military units, news outlets extensively report casualties to area troops. Will local media still take the time to tell these stories?
After Doherty, prominent anti-war author Anthony Arnove took the stage and demanded immediate withdrawal and reparations for Iraq's destruction. As he whipped up the crowd, I jotted down personal advice for the next president: Forget the embarrassment of pulling out of Iraq and the perception of defeat. We can forge a new path for this country's foreign policy, one that won't take for granted the lives of our servicemen for the sake of a think tank-inspired philosophy that revolves around controlling Middle Eastern resources.
As a haggard Dols and I went into a local liquor store to gather directions and 40s for the weary protesters, we discussed the often-ignored theory that troop defections really led to the end of the Vietnam war. He's got a serene confidence that with a little popular support, the American soldier will stop fighting this war. For Dols, the Vietnam protest veterans and the CAN movement, the first step has been marched.
Bassey Etim ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in political science and journalism.
