Only 10,000 people rallied against the war today in San Francisco. “Only” because that number sounds low given the widespread distress with the Administration’s war execution and the go-it-alone tone of the foreign policy. Neither plays well in this progressive city with our strong internationalist community.
The live coverage of the speeches and march reminded me why I didn’t consider going. Along with the comments on the war — the stated purpose of the event — the reports told of the speakers and placards that:
- castigated the management of San Francisco hotels who are in a labor dispute with the lower-level workers
- advocated the Palestinian mid-East perspective and called for the elimination of Israel
I probably agree with the hotel workers, but wouldn’t march in the street to support their collective bargaining position. And, I don’t share at all the anti-Israel rants.
Today’s protest was organized by International A.N.S.W.E.R. Their site is a good example of monotone anti-US spewing, just the kind of mindless America bashing that turns off reasonable folks who would otherwise be yelling that the President and his administration are very, very wrong. This group of rally organizers have conflated criticism of the American Iraq policy with all sorts of unrelated, CIA-agent-under-the-bed evils.
Too bad.
If there’s any conspiracy I wonder about it is the preeminence of ANSWER (and Cindy Sheehan!) in the media. President Bush couldn’t ask for a better public face for his opposition.