Celebrities Pack D.C. War Protest

Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, center, who is running for the Democratic presidential for a second time, speaks at protest against the war in Iraq on the National Mall on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2007 in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf) (Kevin Wolf - AP)

WASHINGTON -- More Hollywood celebrities sparkled the dais than button-down Washington typically sees in a month.

Oscar-award winner Sean Penn had a warning for politicians on the ballot in 2008. "If they don't stand up and make a resolution as binding as the death toll, we are not going to be behind those politicians," he said.

With a reporter's credential, Penn visited Iraq in November 2003 and recently traveled to Iran.

The husband and wife anti-war duo, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins, also spoke.

"This past November the American people sent a resounding signal to Washington, D.C., and the world. We want change. We want this war to end. And how did Bush respond? Twenty-one thousand, five hundred more will risk their lives for his misguided war. Is impeachment still off the table? Let's get him out of office," Robbins said.

The crowd responded, "Impeach Bush, impeach Bush, impeach Bush!"

Jane Fonda, who recently wrapped a film with Lindsay Lohan, brought along her daughter and grandchildren. Fonda said she used to take her daughter to anti-war protests in the 1970s. "I'm proud they're here but I'm so sad we still have to do this," she said. Fonda was married to anti-war activist Tom Hayden during the Vietnam war.

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There were a few tense moments outside the Capitol when several hundred protesters tried to rush the building. Police scuffled and wrestled with some and eventually set up barricades and a police line to keep them at bay. The protesters shouted "Our Congress!" and some carried riot shields with the slogan "U.S. out of everywhere."

Many of the protesters belonged to Students for a Democratic Society, an activist group founded in the 1960s by Tom Hayden (once married to Fonda) and others.

John Cronan, 23, from the Pace University chapter, said they were trying to send a different message than the main march. "These peace rallies really don't get anything done. With Congress historically, you have to force them to do something," he said.

The crowd eventually drifted away and many joined the larger march.