The first time I met George Allen was in Wakefield, VA in 2000. He was running for U.S. Senate. When I told him I was from Maryland, Senator Allen smiled and said, "well, welcome to America."

Of course, he said it in jest. He was smiling and as gracious as could be, and, in truth, it struck me as simply being part of his usual shtick. It was something to say to a stranger when you had to make small talk -- when you had to say something -- anything -- to hundreds of strangers every day. I took it as good-natured ribbing -- like when a Dallas fan pokes fun at a Redskins' fan (or vice versa).

But he was also making a valid point. Recently, a friend of mine was visiting from Paris. I told him that, to really understand America, he would have to spend sometime outside of cities like Washington, New York, and L.A. In other words, he would have to spend some time in, "America."

Of course, my reason for writing this is that the Washington Post (and the establishment media) are doing there best to make this statement more than it really is. But, as we've witnessed from the ratings, as well as the Dan Rather debacle, ultimately, the media is out of touch with what most people think.

Welcome to America.