Protesters Mark 1st Month of Conflict : Dissent: Crowds have decreased, but some say they expect larger rallies when an expected ground war increases U.S. casualties.

An anti-war demonstration exactly one month after U.S. warplanes first bombed Baghdad drew more than 1,500 protesters in Los Angeles on Saturday, while across the nation 300 activists marched to a security checkpoint near President Bush’s vacation home in Kennebunkport, Me.

The rallies were among several scattered across the nation expressing dissent toward U.S. war policy. Supporters of the war often waged smaller counterdemonstrations as well as some rallies of their own.

Outside the Westwood Federal Building, protesters offered a moment of silence in memory of hundreds of civilians Iraq says were killed in a bombing raid Wednesday on Baghdad. Later, anti-war leader Ron Kovic urged the crowd to join hands and “think of the Iraqi mothers and children pulled out of that shelter.”

Some anti-war organizers acknowledged disappointment at the turnout, suggesting that the threat of rain kept many people away. Attendance at protests and the emotions have waned significantly since rallies held during the first two weeks of the war. Entertainment personality Casey Kasem, a regular speaker at Los Angeles anti-war demonstrations, described the mood as “serene.”

Organizers say that they expect larger, more aggressive protests to resume when the expected ground war starts and U.S. casualties begin to mount. The size of demonstrations have decreased, but more individuals are attending planning meetings, activists say.

“A lot of emotion is drained out of the movement and the intellect is pouring into it,” said USC student Rob Battle, a member of the L.A. Student Network for Peace. “There’s less chanting but more is getting done.”

In Kennebunkport, where President Bush was spending the weekend, 10-degree weather was also cited as a factor in a protest that failed to match organizers’ predictions, the Associated Press reported. Protesters beat drums, cowbells, tambourines and buckets in a “drum vigil” before marching to Walker’s Point.

The weather also chilled more than 300 protesters in Boston, while in Salt Lake City, 150 protesters rallied in a drizzling rain.