As U.S. House Democratic Leader Richard Gephardt stepped away from the crowd Sunday in Kennedy Park, the crowd followed.

It was not the crowd that showed up to support Democrat Mike Michaud in his run for the House, it was the crowd unhappy with members of Congress, especially Gephardt.

“Gephardt, Gephardt has no spine! He just follows Bush’s line,” the crowd loudly repeated, holding signs and banging drums, standing a few feet away from the high-ranking Democrat. The age of protesters ranged from college students to middle-aged parents to white-haired seniors.

Gephardt, Gephardt has no spine! He just follows Bush’s line.

The protesters were angry that Gephardt and other congressional leaders signed off on a resolution giving Bush the authority to use military action against Iraq. That resolution is expected to be taken up in Congress this week.

As Gephardt began to take questions from the news media following the rally, Michaud supporters stood between the protesters so reporters could hear what Gephardt said. Security was intense, but the event was peaceful and no arrests were made.

When asked for his position on the resolution, Gephardt said military action against Iraq must include the United Nations, but that he supports action against Iraq.

Debate on the resolution will begin this week, he said. “I felt we need to encourage the president to use the United Nations. I think he’s doing that. But we’ve got to deal with the problem we face with Iraq,” Gephardt said. “We have terrorists and terrorism in the world. We can’t allow that to affect us here in the United States. We’ve got to make sure that weapons of mass destruction are not used in the United States. We have a high responsibility to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Democrats want Bush “to go to the Security Council and settle this through the Security Council,” Gephardt said. “We’ve got to use the United Nations. We’re a leader of the United Nations. We set it up. So we’ve got to try to stick with it.”

Protesters angrily said agreeing to the resolution is not how Democrats should behave.

“Things that are central to many of us in the Democratic Party, he just signed off on it,” Chuck Lidz said of Gephardt before the rally. “He’s put a lot of pressure on fellow Democrats who tried to raise questions about the war. In Democratic Party politics we try to do things internationally, with the cooperation of our allies. Bush is not doing that, and Gephardt just signed off on that.”

Bates sophomore Nathan Harrington agreed. “They’re supposed to be the opposition party but they don’t oppose,” he said.

“If Bush can convince the entire Security Council that this is the right policy, I will shut up,” Lidz said. “I don’t think I’ll agree, but I’ll shut up.” Lidz, of Hebron held a sign that read: “Who wants war in Iraq?”

“I want the Democrats to start questioning the insanity of a pre-emptive, unilateral invasion of a foreign country,” Harrington said, holding a sign that read “no more killing.” “Clearly Saddam Hussein’s regime is a terrible one.” But the sanctions have strengthened Hussein’s hold on power and caused suffering to the Iraqi people, Harrington said. “An invasion at this point will do the same thing.”

Security was tight during Sunday’s rally-protest with numerous Secret Service agents, state and local police officers at the scene. While no arrests were made, things got tense for a few seconds when a protester rushed toward Gephardt while taking something out of his bag, said Lewiston Police Lt. Jim Perkins. Fearing it could be a gun or another weapon, officers stopped the man and inspected his bag. “It was a camera,” Perkins said, adding the protester understood why he was stopped.

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