Sheen Stumps for Anti-War Campaign

By Stephen M. Silverman

Thursday February 20, 2003 10:00 AM EST

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He may not be the president of the United States, but he plays him every week on NBC's "The West Wing." And so, Martin Sheen will also take the helm Thursday in a TV commercial urging Americans to join a Feb. 26 "virtual march" on the nation's capital to oppose a war with Iraq.

Sheen, 62, along with actors Janeane Garofalo and Mike Farrell, joined representatives from the National Council of Churches, Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities, Greenpeace, NAACP and Physicians for Social Responsibility on Wednesday to announce an anti-war campaign at a press conference in Los Angeles, reports Variety.

Together, the various parties have formed an umbrella coalition called Artists United to Win Without War, which is pressing Americans to deluge Washington with e-mails, faxes and phone calls and advocate a peaceful solution to the Iraqi crisis.

Because of the political nature of Sheen's ads, as well as those from other groups voicing similar pacifist sentiments, networks have been skittish about airing them, reports Variety. (The networks say they are reluctant to run any advocacy ads, regardless of the issue.)

The solution has been for the groups to buy up time from local cable companies. Sheen's spot is due to appear all week on both CNN and Fox News Channel in L.A. and Washington, D.C., says the trade paper.

"This virtual march on Washington will allow every American opposed to the war to stand up and be counted, by calling, faxing and e-mailing the U.S. Senate and the White House," Sheen says in the spot.

Last Saturday, hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated for peace in marches that took place in major cities around the world, though President Bush subsequently said he was unmoved in his determination in taking military action against Iraq's Saddam Hussein.