They knew clinton was just kidding.
I was reminded of the pre-WWII period last night when a bunch of historians were talking about protests and their effect on policy.
Except for Vietnam, the extent to which most protests impact policy is to make the inevitable war worse.
And even in Vietnam, the violent and pro-communist nature of much of the protests only tended to polarize, not energize, the population.
It was an interesting perspective.
To the positive, protests can get leaders to focus on the reasons why a war policy is pursued, giving more of the citizens a sense of informed consent to the policy.
The problem here is that pro-despot demonstrators don't want to be more well informed. They want America hurt and hurt bad, and they want Saddam and the NK dictator secure in their palaces.

Ed