Sadr Protest Numbers Greatly Inflated

Media reports were estimated from tens of thousands to 600,000. However the US Forces have aerial proof to the contrary:

The number of participants that took part in the event
ranged from 5,000 to 7,000, based on aerial photographs, said U.S. Army Col.
Steven Boylan, a military spokesman with Multi-National Force-Iraq.
During
the era of Saddam Hussein the people could not voice their opinions or freely
express how they felt about the government. This changed in Dec. 2005 when
millions of Iraqis voted for a democratic future during their general election
of a new government.

I love the Pentagon's positive spin on the protests. If only the Media could turn their own spin to America's favor rather than the terrorists.