9/12 protests set to explode across the country

A top House Dem leadership aide has emailed a memo to Dem aides on the Hill and outside liberal groups warning they should brace for a turnout of up to two million people, suggesting Dems worry that if enough conservatives descend on the Mall it will amount to a major PR victory for the right.

The aide, Doug Thornell, warned in the memo that the dust-up over Joe "you lie" Wilson has been invigorating conservatives. "It looks like Saturday's event is going to be a huge gathering, estimates ranging from hundreds of thousands to 2 million people," Thornell wrote in the memo, which was forwarded by a source.

In another sign of concern, the memo painstakingly detailed a range of turnout predictions from the event's organizers, such as this one from tea party leaders promising a crowd of up to 1,000,000.

While the movement has gotten considerable attention, it is unclear just how broad it is. Both conservatives and liberals Friday tried to manage expectations, hoping to claim a surprisingly high or low turnout after the event.

White House officials on Friday professed to know nothing of the planned demonstrations. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs queried reporters about the planners and their issues. "I don't know who the group is," he said with a shrug.

Other Democrats suggested the protesters are embittered, fringe conservatives fueled by radio and TV talk-show hosts. "There's a lot of energy, but it's negative energy," said Democratic strategist John Lapp. "At the end of the day, Republicans are left with bomb-throwing, screaming, frothing and a lot of opposition."

For their part, Republican leaders have been grappling with whether to embrace or distance themselves from the mounting protests. Most of Saturday's scheduled speakers are little-known activists. But Sen. Jim DeMint (R., S.C.) and Reps. Mike Pence (R., Ind.), Tom Price (R., Ga.) and Marsha Blackburn (R., Tenn.) will address the crowd, as will former Texas Rep. Dick Armey, now president of FreedomWorks, a Washington-based group advocating smaller government and lower taxes, which took the lead in organizing the event.

The 54 riders on the Tallahassee bus provide a window into the new conservative energy. On the road, they listened to reminiscences of President Ronald Reagan's life, including his battle against Soviet-style communism. It is a fight they say must now be waged at home, against an administration and Congress that is inserting government deeply in banking, car-making and, perhaps, health care.