... the biggest tea party Washington, D.C., has ever seen. And what a wonderland it was, with the Mad Hatter -- conservative commentator Glenn Beck -- and the Queen of Hearts -- former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin -- exhorting the crowd to forget politics and focus on a higher power. ...A nasty start that sounds more like the American far left's Howard Dean than a supposed conservative. And the column didn't rise significantly in quality from there. It's doubtful that she follows Beck's program or understands what he actually stands for.
But a good indication of Beck's character and values can be found in the company he keeps. A Wall Street Journal editorial "Glenn Beck's Happy Warriors" provides a description of the hundreds of thousands of people he attracted to the DC rally on Saturday:
Pundits will debate whether the crowd at Glenn Beck's Saturday rally in Washington was the largest in recent political history, but it was certainly among the most impressive. ...
... if he's judged by the quality of people of all colors that he attracted to the Lincoln Memorial, his stock can't help but rise.
One would not be able to find a more polite crowd at a political convention, certainly not at a professional sporting event, probably not even at an opera. In fact, judging by the behavior of the attendees following the event, you'd have a tough time finding churches in which people display more patience as others make their way to the exits.
... Relaxed young parents felt comfortable enough to push toddlers in strollers through the crowded areas along the memorial's reflecting pool.
Not only was the rally akin to a "huge church picnic" (in one Journal reporter's description), but one had to wonder if the over-achievers in this crowd actually left the area in better shape than they found it.
Update. Here's another interesting take on the rally [via FiveFeetOfFury]:
And Tasha K might also be interested to know that The Smithsonian Institute wants to preserve artifacts from Glenn's historic rally.
