Protests? Where?

Instapundit reports on thinly attended anti-war protests.

I drove up to the edge of U Cal Berkeley today for a late lunch. It was the first warm and sunny day we'd had in weeks, perfect weather for a good venting against the Bush administration. In fact, the streets were crowded and it was impossible to find parking. But wait. It appeared to all be due to some unrelated musical event. There was nary a "Bu$hitler" banner to be seen.

The only protesters I saw were about two dozen elderly folk on University St. a good half mile from campus. There were about a dozen on either side of the street holding signs. That was it.

Being the Bay Area, of course there were protests. But it was telling that there was no noticeable activity in the place that practically invented the anti-war protest.

I still fail to grasp the logic of those who are calling for the U.S. to immediately pull out of Iraq. Whatever the merits of going into Iraq in the first place, once that action was taken, this country had the additional responsibility of trying its utmost to set things right in Iraq.

The main argument from those opposed to the war in the first place is that it's the presence of U.S. troops that is driving the violence. But the vast majority of terrorist acts and mass violence in Iraq are not directed at U.S. troops, but at other Iraqis.

So far a civil war hasn't erupted, and it's clear that the easiest way to start one would be to get the U.S. to pull out in rapid fashion.