WASHINGTON - Descending on the U.S. Capitol on Thursday as Congress heads for a showdown vote on health reform, thousands of conservative protesters heeded the call of Minnesota Republican Michele Bachmann to show their anger at what they see as a government takeover of health care. In a boisterous reprise of the summer town hall meetings that galvanized Republican opposition to the Democratic health care overhaul plans, demonstrators -- including several busloads from Minnesota -- followed Bachmann's exhortation to fan out throughout the House office buildings and confront lawmakers, who are scheduled to vote on Saturday.
U.S. Capitol Police reported 12 arrests outside the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on charges ranging from unlawful entry to disorderly conduct. Pelosi, a California Democrat, had been a focal point for many of the protesters, including one who wore a mask depicting Pelosi holding handfuls of bloody fetuses.
Minnesota protesters made stops at the offices of Bachmann, and Minnesota Democrats Tim Walz and Keith Ellison. Walz was unavailable but Ellison met with them briefly.
Dozens of top GOP House leaders showed up on the Capitol steps to greet the crowd. But it was Bachmann, boosted by her status as a frequent conservative talk radio and television guest, who clearly was the main draw.
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As GOP House leader John Boehner of Ohio led the Republican delegation to a stage on the West Front of the Capitol, hundreds in the crowd started chanting "We want Michele!"
"Are they going to listen?" Bachmann asked the cheering throngs, referring to House Democrats. "Oh, yeah, they're going to listen."
Congressional aides said the idea of a Washington rally had been discussed among Republican leaders in recent weeks, but that some members of the GOP caucus remained cool to the idea. Not Bachmann.
The spark