Seattle police said the crowd was between 8,000 and 15,000 but organizers set their estimate at 20,000 as protesters filled a major plaza at the city's Seattle Center.

Other anti-war rallies and marches drew smaller numbers in Spokane, Tacoma, Vancouver, Union Gap, Ellensburg, Bellingham, Bremerton and Longview.

But about 1,000 people rallied near McChord Air Force Base and Fort Lewis in support of President Bush's policy, and about 500 supporters of United States troops marched in Oak Harbor near the Whidbey Island Naval Air Station. A smaller demonstration was held at the Yakima Training Center near Selah.

In Seattle, many carried signs opposing U.S. war with Iraq with slogans saying "Impeach Bush," "Peace on Earth," "Fear Is Not Reason," "Wage Peace," and "The World Says No to War."

Police on horseback kept watch. One person was arrested for defacing property, police spokeswoman Deanna Nollette said. There were no injuries or reports of significant property damage.

Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., who was the final speaker at the rally before it dispersed and headed downtown, warned President Bush of the folly of going to war in Iraq.

"What will we get out of that?" McDermott told the crowd. "We will get hatred from the world's Muslims."

McDermott, who gained worldwide notice last fall for criticizing President Bush last fall while in Iraq, said there was no question that the United States can win this war quickly. But he said that was not the issue.

"The president can flatten Iraq," he said. "There's no question what our power is. But this war is unjust and unjustifiable."

He told The Associated Press before the rally that the war could still be stopped. "It's not inevitable," he said. "The president can still pull back. I hope he can find a graceful way to do it."

He told The AP that Bush should notice the crowds turning out against his policy before the start of war. "These crowds are before the war starts," he said. "What do you think we'll see after the war starts? He has to get re-elected."

Jessica Anderson, 23, wore an "I love the people of Iraq" button and said the Bush administration was toying with her future. She said she has been unable to get a job since graduating with a sociology degree in 2001 from an East Coast college that she did not identify. She moved to Seattle in June in search of work.

"I'm here today to protest this unjust war and to let the president know that I refuse to let him ruin my future," Anderson said. "Our generation's future is being attacked on all fronts."

Anderson said she was taking Bush's actions against Iraq personally.

"I can't get a job and I can't be useful to my society, but yet he (Bush) can afford to spend all of our money on bombs to create future enemies for me in other countries," she said.

Rad Cunningham, 23, said he believes the Bush administration was trying to make a connection between going to war with Iraq and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 on New York City and Washington, D.C.

"But I don't think there's any connection between Sept. 11 and Iraq," said Cunningham.

"I don't support the war," he said. "That's why I'm here today."

Rally sponsors tied the issue of going to war with Iraq to support of immigrants' rights.

Two immigrants, Sergio Salinas, 45, and Pramila Jayapal, 38, spoke to the crowd. Jayapal, executive director of the Hate Free Zone Campaign of Washington, came to the United States from India 21 years ago, while Salinas, president of the 2,500-member Service Employees International Union Local 6 of Seattle, immigrated to the U.S. from El Salvador in 1981.

Jayapal said a war in Iraq would cost $100 billion at the minimum, which is 21⁄2 times what the federal government spends annually on education for kindergarten through 12th grade.

"We should be saying, 'Wait a second. We elect this government. Our leaders are supposed to be representing us,"' she said.

Jayapal said she thought many in the crowd would support a war against Iraq if there was evidence the nation needed to go in that direction.

"But there's no evidence," she said.

Jayapal said there were between 30,000 and 50,000 Americans from India, Nepal, Nepal and Bangladesh in the Seattle area. Many of them are concerned about backlash against immigrants since the Sept. 11 attacks, she said.

"Sikhs have been one of the most targeted groups," she said. "All of us worry we are setting a precedent for the rest of the war."

Salinas spoke to the crowd about the plight of "eight million undocumented immigrants" in the United States.

"They all work," he said. "They all pay their taxes. They pay their bills. They send their kids to school. They buy groceries. They're just like anybody else. Now, there's a need for amnesty for them so they can stay here and become productive citizens."

Also in the state:

• About 1,000 supporters of Bush's Iraq policy, most of them waving American flags, rallied at Lakewood next to McChord Air Force Base and near Fort Lewis. People in the crowd came from as far away as Port Orchard and Kent. Some of the people stood on an overpass over Interstate 5 and waved their flags as traffic sped by.
• In Oak Harbor, in a neighborhood near the Whidbey Island Naval Air Station where many Navy families live, about 500 people braved gusty winds in the cold for a rally and one-mile march. Many waved American flags and declared their support of United States troops. "We thought it was important to counter those massing in downtown Seattle, and support our troops," said Ed Godsey.
• In Coupeville, about 10 miles south of Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island, a dozen anti-war protesters stood on a street corner at the same time as the Oak Harbor rally and held "No Iraq War" signs.
• In downtown Spokane, about 2,000 people attended an anti-war march through Riverfront Park that lasted about two hours. Some supporters of the Bush administration showed up. One waved a big United States flag and urged those at the rally to fly similar flags in support of the nation's troops.
• In Tacoma, about 1,000 people against war in Iraq rallied at McKinley Park, and walked a mile to the Federal Building. Timothy Joel Smith, a retired Army veteran, spoke at the rally in support of the protesters' position but made it clear he was against a possible war and not against U.S. military personnel who might be fighting in Iraq.
• In Bellingham, about 1,000 people crowded streets around the Federal Building to protest the looming war. Some danced to bongo drums along Cornwall Avenue. "I think this is supporting our troops," said Curt Verstegen, a U.S. Navy veteran. "The only thing that stopped the Vietnam War was a massive show of people."
• In Vancouver, about 200 people attended an anti-war rally at the Luepke Senior Center. Clark County Commissioner Craig Pridemore told the group that speaking out against the war comes at a price. "This is just about the most difficult thing an elected official can do," he said. Earlier in the day, about 60 people waved anti-war banners at city intersections.
• In Longview, about 30 people protesting the possible war marched at Lake Sacajawea city park. Ron Schauer held a "Peace is Stronger Than Duct Tape" sign. "I was going to do 'Cigar Smokers for Peace,' but I'm ostracized enough as it is," he said.
• In Bremerton, about 150 to 200 people gathered on the Bremerton Boardwalk in front of the historic destroyer USS Turner Joy. Organizers said the location was symbolic because the ship was involved in the Gulf of Tonkin incident that led to U.S. military escalation in Vietnam. "Some people think it's disrespectful" to join anti-war protests, said Donna Barr, a Vietnam veteran. "I think for Bush to treat the military like chess pieces he can throw away for oil is the worst type of disrespect."
• In the Yakima Valley, about 300 peace demonstrators marched in Union Gap, and another 200 marched in Ellensburg. An evening prayer vigil drew about 75 people in Yakima's Millennium Plaza on Saturday night. About 150 supporters of America's armed forces gathered in front of the Yakima Training Center near Selah.