Sept. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Peggy Smith, a retired legal secretary from Terre Haute, Indiana, is coming to Washington for her first anti-war march this weekend. She has one question: ``You think they'll put a 61-year-old lady in jail?''

``I've never been to jail before,'' said Smith, who has been taking classes in non-violent civil disobedience. ``I was married to a lawyer for 31 years. I'm a peaceful person.''

The nation's capital is bracing for what organizers say will be the biggest rally yet against the Iraq war, with more than 100,000 participants. The U.S. Park Police has canceled leaves for all officers, and city police will operate on 12-hour shifts to deal with the protesters, who are planning what one of their Web sites calls a ``mass civil resistance action''

The three-day event and a counter-demonstration coincide with twice-yearly meetings in Washington of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, which officials say will draw their own protests. Law enforcement will be presented with a ``unique challenge,'' said Commander Cathy Lanier of Washington's Metropolitan Police Department.

Headlining the anti-war rally will be Cindy Sheehan, the California woman whose son was killed in Iraq and who drew global attention in August when she camped out near President George W. Bush's Texas ranch, demanding to meet with him. Bush, who had met Sheehan in a group of other parents of Iraq victims the year before, declined to see her again.

Declining Support

Performers including Joan Baez, Steve Earle and Sweet Honey in the Rock will appear at an ``Operation Cease-fire Concert'' on Sept. 24. Speakers include California Democratic Representative Lynn Woolsey and radio commentator Jim Hightower.

The protests come as public support for the war continues to slide. Sixty-seven percent of those questioned in a USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll conducted Sept. 16-18 said they disapprove of Bush's handling of the war, the most since it began in March 2003.

``Sentiment has changed and the anti-war movement, the peace movement, is growing,'' said Bill Dobbs, spokesman for United for Peace & Justice, one of the organizers. ``We have been very focused on ending the war and bringing the troops home.''

Smith, the retired legal assistant, is among those who have turned against the war. ``We were lied to,'' said Smith, who is traveling to Washington with other protesters on a chartered bus. ``I didn't think the war would turn out this bad. So I've changed my mind.''

Circling the White House

Among the things she says she has learned in training for the rally: Don't react to taunting; be polite; don't put up a fight when being arrested.

The weekend protest is scheduled to begin with a rally Sept. 24 on the Ellipse across from the White House, followed by a march through the city's streets. Other events include the concert on the National Mall, an ``interfaith peace and justice revival'' and a ``peace and justice festival.'' Similar rallies are scheduled in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Organizers say the Washington activities will culminate with protesters surrounding the White House on Sept. 26 and demanding to meet with Bush. White House Spokesman Trent Duffy declined to comment. The president will be away from Washington touring areas hit by Hurricane Katrina at least the first day of the protest.

The Answer Coalition, a Washington-based umbrella organization of various peace and social-justice groups, said on its Web site the permit it obtained to march near the White House is the first such issued in ``many years.'' Bill Line, a spokesman for the National Park Service agreed, though he said he couldn't provide the exact number of years.

`Could Disrupt'

Answer -- which stands for Act Now to Stop War and End Racism -- has organized previous Washington rallies against the Iraq war, including one in October 2003 that government officials said attracted 10,000 to 20,000 people. Organizers put the number as high as 100,000. About 25,000 turned out in Washington for an anti-war march on April 2003, a month after the U.S. invaded Iraq.

New York-based United for Peace & Justice, which describes itself as a coalition of 1,300 groups opposed to ``our government's policy of permanent warfare and empire building,'' is offering civil disobedience training for demonstrators.

On its Web site, the group professes ``solidarity'' with activists who may engage in nonviolent activities that ``could disrupt the city's traffic or commerce.''

Citing security reasons, neither the Metropolitan Police Department nor the Park Police will say how many officers they will deploy this weekend.

Short of Vietnam

``Everyone will be working,'' said Sergeant Scott Fear, a spokesman for the Park Police, the 214-year-old agency that provides law-enforcement services to Washington and areas within the National Park Service.

Even if organizers reach their estimate of more than 100,000 protesters, the rally will fall short of several staged during the Vietnam War. One in November 1969 drew 600,000, the most ever for a single rally in Washington, while one in April 1971 attracted 500,000, according to the U.S. Park Police.

Justin Fleming, an organizer with DefendTheWhiteHouse.org, one of about four groups planning the counter demonstrations this weekend, said street rallies have a limited impact on public opinion.

``But we'll be out there,'' he said, predicting as many as 10,000 people for the pro-Bush rallies. There are no plans for confrontation with the anti-war protesters, he said.

The largest rallies in Washington:

Event                             Date                Crowd

Vietnam War moratorium rally      Nov. 15, 1969       600,000
Iran hostage welcome              Jan. 27, 1981       500,000
Vietnam War `Out Now' rally       April 24, 1971      500,000
Million Man March                 Oct. 16, 1995       400,000
March on Washington for Gay
 and Lesbian Rights               April 25, 1993      300,000
20th anniversary of Civil
 Rights March on Washington       Aug. 28, 1983       300,000
Solidarity Day                    Sept. 10, 1981      250,000
Civil Rights March on Washington  Aug. 28, 1963       250,000

Source: National Park Service

To contact the reporter on this story: Jon Steinman in Washington at jsteinman@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: September 22, 2005 08:39 EDT