The crowd, which Republican Party officials estimated at 23,000, walked past a group of demonstrators at the park's entrance, who shouted "Eight is enough."
Of course, RK has already pointed out that this self-serving estimate is absolutely false, as Bloomberg reported:
McCain aide Kimmie Lipscomb told reporters on Sept. 10 that an outdoor rally in Fairfax City, Virginia, drew 23,000 people, attributing the crowd estimate to a fire marshal.Fairfax City Fire Marshal Andrew Wilson said his office did not supply that number to the campaign and could not confirm it. Wilson, in an interview, said the fire department does not monitor attendance at outdoor events.
.... Washington Post reporter Marc Fisher estimated the crowd to be 8,000, not the 23,000 cited by the campaign.
I'm glad the Sun Gazette was so inquisitive when given a number from an obviously biased source. Lemme guess at their next article: Sarah Palin also told Congress "No Thanks" to that Bridge to Nowhere?