<<MORE PHOTOS>>

On Wednesday, September 3 the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition held a Panel Discussion/Press Conference entitled Iraq: George W. Bush's "Vietnam"? at the National Press Club in Washington DC. The panel featuring former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark, Catholic Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, family members of U.S. GIs, and other leaders of the anti-war movement discussed the growing mood in the United States to bring U.S. troops back from Iraq and to end the occupation. Mr. Clark and others called on the people of the United States to come together in massive numbers at the October 25 National March on Washington, D.C.

C-SPAN COVERAGE

C-Span broadcast the Panel Discussion several times beginning at 6 am EST on C-Span 2 on Thursday 9/4.

The C-Span schedule is available online (you should press "refresh" or "reload" on your browser to make sure you have the current schedule). Please note that the schedule is subject to change.

C-Span programs can also be viewed online during their broadcast. A streamed video that is accessible at anytime will be available soon.

The program is called "U.S. Policy Toward Iraq" sponsored by Act Now to Stop War & End Racism (A.N.S.W.E.R.) and featuring Ramsey Clark and Thomas Gumbleton.

REUTERS COVERAGE

American Casualties in Iraq Stir U.S. Peace Movement
By Laura MacInnis

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Peace activists said on Wednesday that increasing concerns about American casualties in Iraq had spurred the U.S. anti-war movement back into action after months of relative quiet.

The ANSWER Coalition, headed by former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark, said it planned to stage a protest in Washington on Oct. 25 to demand the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq.

More U.S. soldiers have died occupying Iraq since President Bush declared major combat over on May 1 than were killed during the war itself. Hundreds more have been wounded.

"That is affecting the mood of the country," ANSWER spokeswoman and civil rights lawyer Mara Verheyden-Hilliard told a Washington press conference. "It is creating this very strong sentiment in the United States of people saying, 'That's enough. It has got to end now."'

President Bush, responding to growing concerns over the failure to bring security to post-war Iraq, this week began a campaign to involve the United Nations more deeply in the task, hoping for more foreign money and troops.

Clark, who served as U.S. attorney general under President Lyndon Johnson, said he wants the United States to pull its troops out of Iraq. "On October 25, let's be together and say 'bring those troops home in Iraq,"' he said.

ANSWER, which stands for Act Now to Stop War and End Racism, organized a series of demonstrations in Washington, San Francisco and other U.S. cities before the U.S. invasion in March, drawing hundreds of thousands of people to the streets.

Organizers declined to predict how many people would attend the Oct. 25 demonstration, but said more than 100 groups had endorsed the event.

ASSOCIATED PRESS COVERAGE

Anti-War Protest Planned for Washington

WASHINGTON - Protesters plan to return to the nation's capital next month to oppose the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq, demonstration organizers said Wednesday.

The International ANSWER coalition, whose name stands for Act Now to Stop War and Racism, brought thousands of anti-war protesters to Washington in January, March and April.

Organizers predict the Oct. 25 march from the Justice Department to the White House and the Pentagon will attract tens of thousands of people. The group is seeking a protest permit for 10,000 people, the National Park Service said.

"We're getting people never touched by politics, but who are agonizing over the occupation" of Iraq, said Brian Becker, co-director of the International Action Center, one of the groups in the protester coalition. He said the families of the troops in Iraq are "so angry and so upset that we expect they and many members of their communities will be joining us to say, 'Bring the troops home.'"

Organizers said at least 50 buses will bring people to Washington from around the United States and Canada.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS COVERAGE

International press in attendance included media from Sweden, Germany, Japan, Canada and Turkey among others. Also check for local and other national coverage.

SPEAKERS AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE

• Ramsey Clark, former U.S. attorney general
• Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, Auxiliary Bishop, Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit
• Gloria Jackson, mother of U.S. soldier stationed in Iraq
• Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, attorney and co-founder, Partnership for Civil Justice; A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition Steering Committee
• Mahdi Bray, Executive Director, Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation
• Brian Becker, Co-Director, International Action Center; A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition Steering Committee
• Peta Lindsay, A.N.S.W.E.R. Youth & Student Coordinator, Howard University student
• Omar Matadar, spokesperson, Muslim Student Association
• Efia Nwangaza, Not in Our Name Project
• Teresa Gutierrez, Co-Director, International Action Center; A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition Steering Committee
• Caneisha Mills, Howard University student, Youth & Student A.N.S.W.E.R.
• Chuck Kaufman, National Co-Coordinator, Nicaragua Network; A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition Steering Committee

Click here for PHOTOS of the speakers and press conference.