By Katie Clancy

It seems the antiwar momentum has ripened after a week of simmering in Denver’s swamp of police brigades and protest marches. On Wednesday, Aug. 27, the peaceful protest led by the Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) marched towards the Pepsi Center, where the Democratic National Convention was taking place, and called for the Obama campaign to acknowledge their three main goals of unity.

In a letter addressed to Sen. Obama written by the IVAW, president of Denver’s chapter Jeff Englehart was all ears, asking for acknowledgement. “Sen. Obama, millions of Americans are looking to you to restore our country’s good name and reputation around the world,” the letter said.

Even if the protestors did not make it all the way to the Pepsi Center, or get a confirmed recognition that night from the campaign, it was clear a dialogue had begun. And, based on Obama’s speech last night at Invesco Field, the end of the war might not be a vacant battle-cry.

“I will end this war in Iraq responsibly,” Obama said to the 80,000 flag-raising supporters. Of course, to the hard core antiwar activists, the candidate’s words were less than they would have hoped for. “Responsibly,” to them, is political code that creates a lot of wiggle room. A friend of mine describes such codes like “pro-life” and “war on drugs” as the grown-up equivalent of spelling out curse words so the kids don’t know what they mean. Then of course the kids figure it out pretty quickly.

In much the same way that Obama stressed that we all love our country, the week stressed that there are many forms of patriotism. Whether it was anarchists or delegates, Denver’s streets teemed with people wanting be heard and voice their opinions within the democratic process. “Off the sidewalks, into the streets!” was a popular call to onlookers from the protestors on their four-mile walk through town.

Though some protestors say they will not vote in November, the mélange of hand-painted antiwar signs and Obama buttons represented a new level of solidarity.

“No matter how disillusioned I feel about politics, Obama is clearly the candidate who is conscience enough to listen and respond our concerns about the war,” a marcher who wishes to remain anonymous said yesterday.

This week’s message of passionate participation will resonate long after the Convention Circus folds: enough apathy. We DO care. The youth is involved, whether it’s with the campaign to elect Obama or with the IVAW. When you’re looking for what unites us, maybe the common denominator isn’t so much our beliefs but rather our participation. The internet has removed any obstacles of being involved for anyone with 10 minutes and a keyboard. And perhaps, going from there from marching under a hot sun in Denver is a matter of degrees. Our actions may be separate, but no matter what spectrum of the political spear you fall, Obama correctly reminds us that a strong democracy is “built from the bottom up, not the top down.”