War protesters hole up inside Sen. Clinton's New York office for nine hours

Friday, October 11th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

NEW YORK (AP) _ Five demonstrators staged a peaceful protest for nine hours inside the Manhattan office of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, demanding she vote against authorizing a U.S. strike against Iraq.

Clinton, D-N.Y., voted to support the Senate resolution, passed early Friday, granting President Bush the powers to use military force against Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Both the House and Senate passed the resolution and sent it to the White House.

``She's not listening to her constituents,'' said Jane Hirschmann, an organizer of the protest in New York. ``She has to vote with the will of the people.''

Clinton aides met with the protesters and served them drinks, Clinton spokeswoman Jennifer Hanley said. The protesters left voluntarily at 10 p.m. Thursday, about nine hours after they arrived, she said.

``They were willing to engage in conversation,'' Hanley said. ``We spent a fair amount of time talking to them about their position and the senator's position.''

Several dozen other protesters gathered on the street outside Clinton's office, chanting, ``This is what democracy looks like.''

During the Senate's floor debate, Clinton said backing the resolution was ``the hardest decision I've ever had to make, but I cast it with conviction. I want this president, or any future president, to be in the strongest possible position to lead our country, at the United Nations or at war.''