Opinion: The rising voices against war

The antiwar rallies across the United States over the weekend were striking for their diversity. Besides the usual pacifists and aging hippies and Hollywood celebrities, the protesters cut across lines of class and race and included teenagers, parents, grandparents and veterans raising their voices against military action that to them would be as wrong as it is probable.

Tens of thousands gathered Saturday on the National Mall in Washington. Though police and organizers differ on the count, the demonstration on the Mall was the largest since the Vietnam War. There was, of course, the usual rhetoric and the demonizing of the president. But there was also solemnity. To many, the issue is not only war but also the lack of a public dialogue on it. Many oppose war for different reasons, on moral or political or practical terms, but the demand to be heard is universal.

Antiwar activists have tapped this sense of isolation from the nation's political process to broaden their message's appeal. Smaller rallies in Tampa, San Francisco and elsewhere have drawn crowds of people from nearly all walks of life. This presents the Bush administration with a serious test. No one expects public protests to weaken the president's war footing, but it could seriously dampen support abroad and undermine the administration's long-term goals on the international scene.

These rallies are important because they are trying to start an informed debate that should have been led by members of Congress. If we face, as the president said, a perpetual war against stateless enemies, then the issue goes beyond Iraq to the broader effect of waging war. Here the protests have focused attention on some important questions. Who rebuilds Iraq? What backlash can we expect in the Arab world? What toll would a war take on our economy -- and on this nation's credibility on democratic values and human rights? Would it weaken the United States diplomatically in dealing with the next foreign-policy crisis?

These larger questions surfacing from the antiwar movement are beginning to gain traction because they go beyond simplistic slogans. To many, the issue is about democracy at home as much as it is terrorism abroad.

Activists in Tampa drove that point home this month after Hillsborough County Judge Elvin Martinez dismissed charges against protesters arrested outside MacDill Air Force Base.

"I thought Tampa was a dangerous place for people to live and speak freely," said Dwight Lawton, 72, a Korean War veteran who was among the defendants. "This judge's decision raises my hopes that people will be able to exercise the First Amendment."

The past week showed a rising chorus of opposition to a war with Iraq. It would be a mistake for the Bush administration to ignore these voices and invade Iraq without a strong rationale and the strong backing of the international community.

Correction

A headline on a Monday editorial incorrectly stated that the Bush administration wants to allow health maintenance organizations to limit coverage of emergency medical services for Medicare recipients. The limit would apply to Medicaid patients.

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