UH OH

The NY Times has a handy convention schedule page that notes not only each day's main speakers, but what protests will be occurring on which day, and when each network will be broadcasting convention coverage.

But look at Tuesday:

TUESDAY
Featured Convention Speakers
First Lady Laura Bush, Secretary of Education Rod Paige, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

Scheduled Protests
Direct Action Day
An anarchist collective calling itself the A31 Action Coalition has organized a series of nonviolent civil disobedience events that will use parts of Midtown to stage demonstrations, without permits.

Hmmm. On the one hand, this could give the Foxes of the world precisely the pictures they want to contrast with the proceedings inside Madison Square Garden. On the other hand, I'd guess that all interested parties with agendas will be able to get what they want out of the protests anyway, and since direct action is a whole category of protesting, it may not be a problem. I've been going back and forth on the subject since the protests in the lead-up to the Iraq invasion.

My problem in early 2003 was "would Bush care, or even mind if some idealistic protesters try to shut down portions of San Francisco?" Now they're in New York, another place that won't be voting for Dubya. And not only that, but a place that has been rendered into utter gridlock due to the convention anyway. Eh...