Hundreds of Thousands Gather For "Rally to Restore Sanity"

Over two hundred thousand people gathered this Saturday at the "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear", a rally hosted by John Stewart and Stephen Colbert. People came from all over the country to see the comedians put on a show in which they ribbed modern journalists and politicians while satirically arguing with each other. The show itself was apolitical, however, many political protesters demonstrated in the crowd and around the rally, especially at the Fox News truck.

Solid blocks of people stretched back along the national mall, far beyond the jumbo-trons set up for viewers. People at the back of the crowd were forced to strain their ears to try to hear the performance. GW freshmen Jim Crudele describes that he could "barely hear, from the distance and the ambulances that drove through the crowd every ten minutes". Even so, the crowd stood for hours listening to the hosts and various musical guests ranging from The Roots to Kid Rock.

The crowd, though mostly just normal audience members, was dotted with those dressed up or carrying signs. These people ranged from absurdest to political, with signs about tights not being pants and legalization of marijuana standings side by side. But as a whole, the event remained non-partisan with most costumes being just for fun.

As comical as the event was, it ended on a more serious note, with Stewart articulating the need for taking media with a grain of salt and embracing bipartisanship. After two more musical numbers, the crowd began to disperse, entertained, but sore after hours of standing crowded against each other to hear a message of sanity.

A Real Colbert Nation?

You've seen Stephen Colbert on television, but will we be seeing him in the White House come 2008? Last Tuesday, Comedy Central host, Stephen Colbert made it official and announced that he is running in the Presidential race, all in his home state of South Carolina. Colbert originally suggested he would run on Larry King Live, but now it is no longer a rumor.

According to CNN.com, South Carolina is one of four lead-off primary states that will likely play a crucial role in determining the eventual nominee of both parties.

So which party will he be running for? Colbert told Larry King that he would seek to run as both a democrat AND a republican, letting the people decide where he belonged. He also claimed, "There is something I could offer the campaign on a state by state basis, sort of like a test run."

GW sophomore, Ryan Deering, believes that, "Colbert is just trying to mess up the numbers and skew the votes for the real candidates running. All in all, it is still pretty awesome."

Other GW students have heard the buzz of Colbert running and are supporting him. Word spread fast when a facebook group "1,000,000 Strong for Colbert," popped up on the social network site. The group is similar to 1,000,000 Strong groups created for Obama, Hilliary, Guliani, or many other 2008 frontrunners.

But Colbert's run isn't a joke. All of the money donated to his campaign goes to helping South Carolina's classrooms get proper school supplies, aiding in education. Help his efforts here.

And if you can't catch Colbert's show on Comedy Central, check out his hew book, "I Am America, (and So Can You!)" in stores now.

- Connie Dekis