New generation of demonstrations
By Wolf Blitzer
CNN
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- It's been more than 30 years since we saw those huge and very angry anti-Vietnam War demonstrations on the streets of cities across the United States. But if Ron Kovic has his way, a new round of anti-war demonstrations will be even larger.
Kovic, as you may recall, was played by Tom Cruise in the Academy Award-winning movie, "Born of the Fourth of July." The film was directed by Oliver Stone and based on Kovic's autobiographical novel. Kovic is a Vietnam War veteran who was paralyzed from the chest down in combat in 1968. He will be a featured speaker at the demonstrations planned in Washington this weekend.
"This is extraordinary," he tells me. "Americans are beginning to come out and demonstrate against this war," he added, referring to a possible war with Iraq. "People who never demonstrated before are coming out. They are going to be great numbers ... There is a very powerful movement that is opposed to this war, and they are very, very concerned that President Bush's war against Iraq will hurt us and will make targets of terror of the American people, even greater targets of terror than before. We're deeply concerned."
He continued: "This is a movement, a peace movement that is going to become a citizen's protest movement unlike any movement or protest movement ever seen before in this country."
Both Kovic and I, of course, vividly remember the Vietnam War demonstrations. I asked Kovic if he thought the upcoming protests could reach the level of those earlier ones. "I think it's going to be different," he replied. "I think it's going to be larger. I think it's going to be even more powerful. It's going to be like nothing that's ever been seen before in this country. I really sense this to be an extraordinary crossroads in American history, a turning point in American history."
That may turn out to be an exaggeration, but there's no doubt that Kovic is passionate on this issue -- as are many other Americans.
The White House says President Bush welcomes these demonstrations. Press Secretary Ari Fleischer told reporters Friday that they underscore U.S. democracy. He noted that anti-government demonstrations are not allowed in Iraq. He says the demonstrations are "a time honored part of American tradition and the president fully understands it. It's the strength of our democracy."
