Whoa Nelly! Crowd Estimate Now 2 Million for 9/12 D.C. Protest!

I'm heading out in a few minutes for the 9/12 West protest. A few thousand are expected, but if it's a tiny fraction of what's happening in Washington today, I'll be in tea party heaven!

Pamela Geller has some great coverage of events, "A Failed Presidency .... And Its Only Six Months, Hundreds of Thousands On the Mall." Pics at Instapundit! And Michelle Malkin, "Update: Turnout Estimated at 2 Million."

Check also Nice Deb. And Vodkapundit has lots of pictures, with updates throughout the day (via Memeorandum). And at Newsbusters, "WaPo Presents 9-12 Event as GOP Danger, Full of 'Right-Wing Nutballs' and 'Freaks'."

The White House is trying to blow off the event. But as Jennifer Rubin notes:

The long-term consequences of this and the preceding populist gatherings are hard to predict. We may see a more libertarian Republican party. A huge turnout for 2010 may result. New, real outsiders may enter politics. And, of course, these protests may scare the dickens out of lawmakers. But while everyone is decrying the collapse of civility and the resulting harm to the country, it is worth noting that we are witnessing a grassroots outpouring of support for limited government, the rule of law, fiscal sobriety, and generational responsibility. That must be heartening to conservatives, but more than that, it is a tribute to the vitality of our democracy and the energy of its citizenry. And that is a very good thing indeed.

I'll update from L.A. with photos later tonight!