On January 20, 2009 President Barack Obama took over the Oval Office after riding a wave of voter support and momentum that was generated by his YES WE CAN campaign. And a defeated and lame duck George W. Bush crawled back to his Crawford ranch for some tree trimming. However, since President Obama’s inauguration it appears he has forgotten his campaign message, and simply took a well-known play out of the old political campaign playbook—and that is: do and say whatever is needed to win the election.

For instance, Xe Services, formerly the infamous Blackwater, continues to garner government contracts (along with other private security contractors), allowing them to continue working alongside US military forces in countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Guantanamo Bay detention facility is still in operation even though President Obama issued an executive order in January 2009 to close the prison within a year. The Patriot Act, which chipped away at Americans’ civil liberties during the Bush Administration, had three sections of it extended by President Obama in February 2010. And finally, Bagram Air Base, a known US torture facility operating in Afghanistan and dubbed Obama’s Guantanamo, functions as if the Bush Administration were still running the place. In April 2009, the Obama Administration appealed a US District Court ruling that some detainees at Bagram Air Force Base are entitled to challenge the reasons for their detentions.

So it appears that Obama’s YES WE CAN doctrine really hasn’t come to fruition, which is why there are more anti-war protests scheduled for this weekend, which marks the seventh anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq.

On Saturday, March 20, 2010, thousands of people will take to the streets in Washington D.C., San Francisco and Los Angeles (among others) to protest against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sponsored by the Answer Coalition the Los Angeles march will begin at 12 noon at the intersection of Vine and Hollywood Boulevard. And if it’s like years prior, this Saturday’s march will certainly be an emotionally charged event, providing plenty of opportunities for photographers to capture some important moments in history. So if you’re in the Los Angeles area on Saturday, be sure stop by Hollywood and Vine for a good ol’ American protest.

Photography by discarted