toledoblade.com --

WASHINGTON - They've marched in the streets, demonstrated on college campuses, and held "teach-ins'' to educate people about their cause.

But supporters of the possible U.S. war against Iraq acknowledge that their efforts so far have been much smaller, less visible, and less publicized than the activities of their anti-war counterparts.

That may be about to change. Supporters of war against Iraq plan a national "Rally For America'' weekend on March 22 and 23. Planners of the event are still putting together the details, but the idea is to use the weekend as a focal point for ad hoc rallies in hundreds of cities and towns to demonstrate public support for President Bush's Iraq policy.

"Our purpose is to let the American people and the world know that we support our troops, that we say `no' to terrorism, and that we want to liberate Iraq,'' said Bob Johnson, a member of the board of directors for Free Republic Network, a nonprofit group associated with the conservative Internet bulletin board freerepublic.com.

"It's harder to get conservatives out on the streets. The problem with conservatives is that we just want to be left alone. But we've proven in the past that, with the right message and the right means, we can get conservatives out,'' said Mr. Johnson, whose group is one of the main organizers of the "Rally For America'' event.

William Bennett, former secretary of the Department of Education, former drug czar and author of books on values, believes that momentum may be building for the "pro-war'' movement, largely because of the success of anti-war protesters in capturing the public spotlight.

"I think that many who have been content to be quietly supportive are starting to say, `Hey, what's going on? These people are starting to drown out support, so we need to raise our volume a bit,''' said Mr. Bennett, who established a pro-war group called "Americans for Victory Over Terrorism.''

"My guess is that we'll hear more and more from people who support the war.''

Thomas Schwartz, a Vanderbilt University political science professor, said that response mirrors what happened during the Vietnam War era. During that time, there were some memorable pro-war demonstrations, including a violent 1970 clash in New York City's Wall Street between blue collar workers who supported the war and anti-war demonstrators, Mr. Schwartz said.

"There were some big demonstrations in support of the Vietnam War. But many of these events were as much in response to the anti-war demonstrations as they were in support of the war,'' said Mr. Schwartz, whose book, Lyndon Johnson and Europe: In the Shadow of Vietnam, is due out in April.

Many supporters of the possible Iraq war are uncomfortable with the idea that they are "pro-war,'' believing that, as Mr. Johnson says, it makes them look like "warmongers.'' Instead, many prefer to say that they are "pro-American troops'' and "pro-America.''

"We agree that war is a terrible thing. But it is not the most terrible thing,'' said Seth Leibsohn, executive director of Americans For Victory Over Terrorism.

Unlike anti-war protesters, many of whom have coalesced under the auspices of a large group called International Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (International ANSWER), supporters of a U.S. war against Iraq have not gathered under an umbrella organization.

But there are several vocal "pro-war'' groups, ranging from Mr. Bennett's group, which was established shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, to Students For Protecting America, which was launched by several Harvard Law School students just two weeks ago.

Other groups supporting the Iraq war are connected with conservative organizations, including Citizens United, Patriots for the Defense of America, and freerepublic.com.

Still other groups come from a particular vantage point, such as the group Women For A Free Iraq, whose members fled that country's repressive regime, and a group called MOVE-OUT! (Marines & Other Veterans Engaging Outrageous Un-American Traitors), which was founded by a Vietnam veteran determined to promote support for U.S. troops.

In addition, a number of pro-war groups have been started on college campuses and are using the Internet to whip up support nationally for their cause. These groups, which have sponsored on-campus pro-war events, include Students For War, United We Stand at Brandeis University, and Students United For Victory at Columbia University.

Conservative talk-radio hosts, particularly Glenn Beck, also have worked to promote the pro-war cause by urging people to attend rallies in several U.S. cities in the past couple of weeks. Thousands of people have heeded the call and showed up for events in Orlando, Houston, Indianapolis, and several other cities.

An event in Pittsburgh this week was inspired by these previous "Rally For America'' activities. Amy Miller, the woman who organized the event, stressed that it wasn't pro-war or anti-war but designed to show support for American troops.

In addition, many of the pro-war groups have written countless letters to the editor and signed numerous petitions in support of the Bush Iraq policy in an attempt to bring public attention to their cause.

Mr. Bennett's group has garnered international interest by holding a "teach-in'' in support of a war against Iraq. The "teach-in'' was held several weeks ago at Columbia University, which was a center of student protests against the Vietnam War. The Bennett "teach-in'' was the second in a series of such events that Mr. Bennett plans to hold over the next few months.

None of these events, however, has mustered the type of media attention as the anti-war protests in January and February, which involved millions of people. The next major anti-war protest is planned for March 15.

"Historically, it's been a lot more difficult to challenge the status quo. That's why the anti-war protesters are more vocal and have to resort to what some people think is an extreme message,'' said Cedric Johnson, a political science professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges.

Mr. Leibsohn of Americans For Victory Against Terrorism agreed: "When you are supporting the government, you don't take to the streets too often.'' Yet Mr. Leibsohn added that his group believes it is vital for pro-war supporters to become more vocal to ensure that the anti-war protesters don't take over the debate.

"Some of their objections to the war do have a tendency to create doubt in the minds of some people. And our enemies watch this and are emboldened by this,'' he said.

But Richard Stoll, a political science professor at Rice University, said conservatives also may be uncomfortable with the idea of marching in the streets.

"During Vietnam, the protesters were viewed by many people as scruffy and dirty. People who are willing to support the president on Iraq may be a little uncomfortable with this kind of demonstration of their support.

"For example, I can see Mr. Bennett addressing a crowd about this. But I don't see him marching around, carrying a sign,'' Mr. Stoll added.

In addition, polls have consistently shown that the support for a war against Iraq is fractured, Mr. Stoll noted. While a majority of Americans support a war against Iraq, most of them support such a war only if there is support for it from the United Nations.

"People may support the war, but most are not that enthusiastic about it,'' Mr. Stoll said.

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