**Also by Jacob Rasch**

For a brief moment, a sea of some 215,000 people, who stretched from the east end of the Capitol to the Washington Monument, became silent with anticipation.  In the next instant, Stephen Colbert emerged from the ground in a silver miner-rescue tube and gripped a Chilean flag.  Waving the flag above his head, he ran around the stage as the crowd chanted in unison “Chi-Chi-Le-Le.”  So began the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear.

Self-proclaimed moderates gathered to parody partisan politics on the mall Oct. 30 at a rally hosted by Comedy Central late night comedians Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.   “I’m with Reasonable” shirts were abundant, and several people dressed in politician-themed costumes.

The opening act set a comical tone for the rally, which featured nearly a dozen guests and performers.

Before Stewart and Colbert made their appearance, “MythBusters” hosts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman pumped up the crowd with a rally-wide wave.  Later in the rally, comedian Tom Novello, dressed as his fictitious “Saturday Night Live” character Father Guido Sarducci, led a humorous benediction in which he implored God to “pick a religion.”

The rally featured a performance by the Roots, a guest appearance by John Legend and a combined set by Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow.  Other musical performances included a musical “battle” between Yusuf Islam, who played “Peace Train” to represent sanity, and Ozzy Osbourne, who played “Crazy Train” to demonstrate fear.  The whole crowd danced as the set culminated in a performance of “Love Train” by the O’Jays.

Between musical performances, Colbert and Stewart staged mock debates between fear and sanity, with Stewart playing a level-headed, rational character and Colbert playing an outrageous, fear-driven pundit.

Throughout the show, Stewart both parodied and discussed over-dramatic news organizations that use “fear-mongering” to boost their ratings.  Although these news organizations didn’t create the problems that America faces, it makes them harder to solve, he said.

“If we amplify everything, we hear nothing,” he said. “I’m not saying that times aren’t difficult or that there is nothing to fear—we do and there is. But these are hard times, not end times.”

The target audience for the rally was “people who think shouting is annoying, counterproductive, and terrible for your throat,” Jon Stewart said on “The Daily Show.”  Many people attending had never been to a rally before, but were die-hard Stewart and Colbert fans.

“This was my first rally, but it was a given for me to go,” said Rachel Lober, who came to the rally from Philadelphia. “It was a rally that really fit me.”

Doug Hollinger and Steph Spightes, who had also never been to a rally before, drove all the way from Grape Vine, Texas to attend.

“We thought it was a great idea,” Spightes said. “As soon as Stewart announced it, we made reservations the next day.”

Others said they came to the rally because they were frustrated with American politics and thought a new movement like the Tea Party wasn’t the right solution.

“I used to be a Democrat, but now I think that politics has gotten too corrupt and polarized,” said Robert Burns, a D.C. lobbyist who attended the rally.   “I’m disillusioned, and I just want a civil discussion about what’s wrong.”

After several hours of comedy, Stewart concluded the rally with a moment of sincerity.

“Sanity will always be and has always been in the eyes of the beholder,” he said. “To see you all here today has restored mine.”