NYT: Jon Stewart's 'Restore Sanity' Will 'Parody' Glenn Beck's 'Religious-Themed Rally'

Didn’t Jon Stewart tell the media “Restore Sanity” was not a response to Glenn Beck? Yes, he did.

According to what the New York Times has dug up, Jon Stewart’s “Restore Sanity” rally tomorrow looks an awful lot like a direct rebuttal and pro-active, pre-planned attempt to ridicule Glenn Beck’s late-August “Restore Honor” event (right down to the awards). If what the Times has discovered is true, it’s yet another hit on Stewart’s already embattled credibility as he has explicitly told the press that he was not planning a Beck counter-rally. Stewart’s rally airs commercial-free tomorrow on Comedy Central from noon to three ET.

Here are some details via the NYT:

An early rundown of the event, shared by the National Parks Service, which issued the permit for the event, listed a first hour dominated by musical acts (including The Roots), with Mr. Stewart and Mr. Colbert performing largely in the second hour, and more musicians (including Sheryl Crow) and a taped, fake-awards conclusion in the third hour. Other guest stars are likely to appear. One on the list is Don Novello, who played Father Guido Sarducci years ago on “Saturday Night Live.” He is expected to offer an opening comic benediction, almost surely intended as a parody of the religious-themed rally headed by Mr. Beck.

In even creepier news:

Liberal groups like Media Matters and Naral Pro-Choice America will be out in force to attract new members and even Organizing for America, President Obama’s political organization, wants to draw attendees to phone banks set up near the Mall.

Parents, are you reading this? Media Matters and Naral will be fishing the Stewart crowd looking for recruits.

Why do I picture raincoats and candy bars?