I cruised through my usual list of left-wing websites this morning expecting to find a bunch of stories of tea party participants acting like fools. There was some of that, but the left-wing coverage seemed somewhat subdued, so maybe there is some legitimacy to this "movement" even though it is funded and promoted by wealthy special interest groups. And yes, I believe Fox News has become a special interest group.

To the extent the tea party people want to influence people like me, they need to distance themselves from Sean Hannity. If he is promoting the movement, then I know it is at least partially fraudulent. I don't have the time or interest to separate which part is legit and which part is phoney.