Do you suppose Glenn Beck will perform his trademark weeping when he rallies the troops (so to speak) at the August 28 Tea Party Rally at the Lincoln Memorial? He is leading the festivities, along with Sarah Palin. They are sharing top billing at a major conservative rally that just happens to coincide with the time and place of Martin Luther King Jr.’s legendary “I Had a Dream” speech of 1963. King spoke of peace and unity, while Palin and Beck will be allegedly “Restoring Honour” in a function that is billed as an apolitical celebration of American military families. Apolitical? What, like Rush Limbaugh?

This event is likely to backfire on these two right-wing firebrands. Beck has heavily promoted the event as a “turning point for America.” He asserts that the timing is just coincidental, although after learning that his rally will fall on the 47th anniversary of the “I had a Dream” speech, he pledged the coincidence was purely “divine providence.” Sure. It’s really up to the Americans to decide how they feel about this somewhat extraordinary display of military might — in the name of American military families — or restoration of honour, or whatever they want to call it. To me, their actions speak volumes — more than a thousand speeches either of these nitwits could ever make.