Dougherty also said the American military presence was doing more harm than good for the local population, citing raids on private homes and other disruptions of everyday life.

The Bush administration has ruled out the possibility of immediately withdrawing troops from Iraq, saying that stable democracy in Iraq has not been assured and that pulling troops out now would cause the country to collapse.

But Hoffman and Dougherty criticized Bush’s rhetoric, which they said equates support of the troops with support of the war.

“They’re refusing to acknowledge that there is a huge human cost to this war,” Dougherty said.

The speeches was sponsored by the Harvard Social Forum, the Socialist Alternative, and IVAW.

—Staff writer William C. Marra can be reached at wmarra@fas.harvard.edu.