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BY CHRISTINA HARTMAN

Conservative talk show host Glenn Beck says hundreds of thousands of people will attend Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally Saturday.

But plans for the rally have been controversial from the start.

Beck says he didn’t initially realize the date he chose for the rally was the anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream Speech.” Beck will stand two steps down from where Martin Luther King delivered the famous speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

Washington, D.C.’s NBC affiliate notes the rally and a planned counter march have all the ingredients of a stormy clash.

“In the crucible of today’s politics, there’s always controversy. ... featuring figures like Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin, who are seen by some as being divisive. Likewise the Rev. Al Sharpton, a key figure in the 'Reclaiming the Dream' rally has his detractors. Two divergent groups, close together, both claiming peace. But just in case:”

OFFICER: “We have a very robust security plan in place.”

National Urban League President Marc Morial has called the date and location of the rally an insult to Dr. King’s memory. Baltimore’s WBAL caught up with a couple who plans to attend the rally, who say that isn’t the point.

REPORTER: “Retirees Jack and Janice Fitch drove all the way from Orlando to support Beck’s message.”

JACK FITCH: “It’s not necessarily political, it’s not racial. It’s not anything. It’s just the direction our country is headed. Down the wrong path.”

JANICE FITCH: “I just think what he’s saying and what he’s trying to stand for is really important for our country.”

On Comedy Central’s “Colbert Report,” Stephen Colbert sarcastically counters.

“No surprise folks, the restoring honor haters out there are upset Glenn is holding his 8/28 rally on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, the exact location and date of Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a dream’ speech. Big whoop. ... Besides the date, the location, the march, and the threat of assassination, this has nothing to do with King.”

The Washington Post’s Amy Gardner points out there’s a disconnect between the tea party supporters who are expected to attend, and a Republican Party who has mostly maintained silence about the rally. But she suggests the rally could end up being a good thing for Republicans in the upcoming midterm elections.

“Yet that disconnect could help draw activists Saturday who are unhappy with both major parties and would be reluctant to participate in a GOP event. Though they profess distaste for Washington, their energy would help Republicans if they turn out in November.”

But on NPR, Republican strategist Mark McKinnon says though he’s withholding judgement, he has serious concerns about the rally’s effect on the GOP.

“The Palin-Beck wing of the party’s got a huge microphone as dominating the party, and I think events like this tend to send not necessarily the right message to the folks that I want to make sure are hearing a moderate message from the Republican Party.”

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports as many as 300,000 people are expected to travel to attend Beck’s Restoring Honor Rally.