To chants of "Impeach Bush," thousands of anti-war protesters rallied in the US capital and delivered a scathing critique of US President George W. Bush and his Iraq policy.
Demanding an end to the US-led occupation and the quick return of American troops, the demonstrators gathered on a sunny fall on Saturday at the Washington Monument to listen to speeches and songs of peace.
One man's small cardboard sign gave his summing-up of the day: "This administration does not represent me," it said in black capital letters typewritten on white paper.
Al Sharpton, a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, exhorted the crowd not to be content with the gradual withdrawal of 130,000 US forces from Iraq.
"Don't give Bush US$87 billion, don't give him 87 cents, give our troops a ride home," Sharpton said to cheers from the crowd.
In contrast, people stood up to 12 deep in Oceanside, California, to cheer more than 11,000 Marines and sailors who marched through downtown in the homecoming of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force based at nearby Camp Pendleton. Many held flags or signs that said "Thank You," and red, white and blue confetti filled the air.
Hundreds of anti-war protesters also took to sun-drenched streets in San Francisco.
"This war is not about us," actor Danny Glover told the protesters. "It is against us, against Iraqi people, and against our children."
Burbank, California, bookstore owner Bill Nelson said, "We want the money here for health care and jobs, not a military industrial complex."
The rallies on both coasts were organized by International ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) and United for Peace and Justice.
The protest in Washington drew a diverse crowd -- young, old, veterans, relatives with loved ones in the armed forces and American Muslims.
An activist group of older women called the Raging Grannies, singing anti-Bush songs, brought whoops of agreement from the protesters.
Organizers estimated that 100,000 people turned out for the demonstration, but police at the scene put the number much lower, from 10,000 to 20,000. Police no longer issue official crowd estimates, so the size of the protest could not be verified.
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