[Frumious Bandersnatch]

I'd heard that the total of the demonstrators was something lik 2,000 - 3,000. My feeling is that the reason he is so conciliatory is because of this fact.

[Shermy]

Check out this story from AFP dated yesterday:

Iraq's Karbala pilgrimage fails to ignite mass anti-US demos

The story contains another tidbit:

A spokesman for the Iranian armed opposition People's Mujahedeen guerrillas meanwhile said a ceasefire reached with US forces allowed the Iraq-based group to keep their arms while maintaining their war against the Iranian government.

This group is our leverage, for one, over Iraq. Read in another article this group seized to Iranian Revolutionary Guards (Pasadaran)...in Iraq!

[geedee]

I heard there was one million pilgrims and, just as you heard, out of this there was only 2,000 - 3,000 anti-American-ers. Which is an amazing fact. These folks have been portrayed in the media as being staunchly anti-American yet when a million of them have an opportunity to bash us on TV newscasts all over the world . . . only 2,000 of them do. I find that encouraging.