Barack Obama, the US president, is planning to attend three rallies on Saturday to support candidates from his Democratic party, but one gathering he will not be attending is being held in Washington DC.
Thousands of people have gathered in the US capital to watch two popular satirists appeal for moderation and civility just days before the US congressional elections on November 2.
Organisers insisted the idea behind the alternative "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear" hosted by Jon Stewart of Comedy Central's "Daily Show" and Stephen Colbert of "The Colbert Show" was not about politics.
