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(s)Elections See other (s)Elections Articles Title: GOP convention attracting array of demonstrators ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - A 73-year-old retired surgeon marching in silence with a tombstone picturing a soldier killed in Iraq. A philosophy professor calling for a new investigation into the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. A long-haul trucker from Texas protesting the price of oil. Those are just a few of the images that demonstrators hope will capture the attention of delegates, journalists and others attending the Republican National Convention. Tens of thousands—from anarchists and immigrants to advocates for the poor—plan to use the streets outside the Xcel Center as a national podium, transforming downtown St. Paul into a marketplace of ideas. "There are some groups that are going to be here just because this is a big stage," said Chuck Samuelson, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota. "But I think the majority of groups are here because they really want to demonstrate to the delegates that they want to see some sort of changes in the party platform." Protesters and police expect the opening day of next month's four-day convention to be the biggest—with a huge anti-war march. "The Bush agenda has really angered all different groups," said Meredith Aby, a member of the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War. President Bush, whose approval rating was just 28 percent in a recent Associated Press-Ipsos poll, is scheduled to speak that night. The war probably will generate a bigger turnout of demonstrators for the Republicans than the Democrats, who open their convention Aug. 25 in Denver, said Paula O'Loughlin, an associate professor of political science at the University of Minnesota-Morris.
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