What if they gave a protest and almost nobody came?

Some are asking that question in Denver, where months of anticipation of mass protests during the Democratic National Convention have amounted to little so far.

That could change with an anti-war concert by Rage Against the Machine Wednesday and a planned march afterward.

Still, organizers had hopes for crowds numbering 5,000, 10,000, even 25,000 descending on Denver to draw attention to issues ranging from the war in Iraq to fuel prices to marijuana prohibition.

Authorities prepared for them. Denver police called in a uniformed force of about 1,000 additional officers from around the metro area and even horse patrols from out of state. The federal presence has been nothing short of overwhelming.

Authorities say there have been about 135 arrests related to the convention over three days.