I think an an estimate of 150-250,000 is in the ballpark - based on no particular evidence beyond over three decades of doing national marches in DC. Your guess is as good as mine. But 500,000 is really pushing it.

The point here is that this action was not significantly different in scale than other national mobilizations against the war in the past 4 years And while large, it was by no means "the largest antiwar national demonstration in Washington DC since the war began"- a objective UFPJ hyped in a flurry of emails and press releases that promoted the mobilization as the coming out party for a new "Antiwar Majority"

UFPJ apparently hoped that by getting endorsements and participation from NOW, True Majority, PDA, USLAW, and Rainbow-PUSH, those groups might actually mobilize new, broader, more mainstream sectors into anti-war action - folks who had never participated in an antiwar protest before. Yet even the most optimistic crowd estimates of Jan. 27th suggest that if this happened - and there were new faces in the crowd - it occurred on a far smaller scale than projected - or advertised. If anything, the turnout underscores the real limitations of UFPJ's latest partners in this new liberal-moderate grand "Coalition of Coalitions'' to deliver a "surge'' from their own base. Instead local antiwar groups and coalitions from across the country made up the bulk of the crowd as they have in past years, and pretty clearly supported a troops out now, end occupation, cut off war funding stance.- and far more vocal about impeaching Bush and Cheney than the speakers.

And then there was Jane Fonda, VVAW sticker and all, finally on stage at an antiwar rally after 34 years of being MIA. Nevetheless, IMO, the single most positive accomplishment of the Jan. 27th rally was to help the growing military resistance movement - specifically Iraq Vets Against the War (IVAW) garner more exposure and recognition in the corporate press.