How shrill was the relentless rhetorical assault on Barack Obama at the Tea Party National Convention in Nashville?

Put it this way: The Saturday night keynote speech from Sarah Palin -- no slouch when it comes to bashing Democrats -- was by far the mildest, most moderate address of the entire two-day conference.

Steve Malloy, author of Green Hell: How Environmentalists Plan to Ruin Your Life, kicked off the Fridaymorning proceedings by telling the crowd that America is controlled by the "Three headed totalitarian monster of Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid."

Hitting on a major conference theme, he warned that Mr. Obama and his minions are conspiring to control every aspect of Americans' lives -- the colour of their cars, the kind of toilet paper they use, how much time they spend in the shower, the temperature of their homes -- all under the guise of UN greenhouse-gas reduction schemes. "Obama isn't a U.S. socialist," Mr. Malloy thundered. "He's an international socialist. He envisions a one-world government."

National Post