Recent news stories have reported that liberal Democrats are seeking to fund a liberal network that will combat the prevailing conservative voices of talk radio. Well, they had better get started, because the constellation of conservative talk radio continues to add new stars.

Right now, the hottest -- and most controversial -- talk show host in America is Michael Savage. Savage searches have tripled in the past month, and he now gets about half as many searches as the dean of conservative talkers Rush Limbaugh.

The San Francisco-based Savage has been the top-rated personality in the Bay Area for years. He now hosts a nationally syndicated radio show and a Saturday show on MSNBC television, and his book Savage Nation is #2 on the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list.

Plus, Savage isn't just a well-known conservative; he's also an expert on herbal remedies and nutrition. Amazingly enough, Michael Savage, right-winger, was once Michael Alan Weiner, semi-hippie. He studied ethnic medicine at University of California at Berkeley, hung out with Allen Ginsberg, and gave his son the middle name of "Goldencloud." He also wrote 18 books on nutrition and alternative medicine.

Over time, however, his political views and his medical views began to diverge, and Savage channeled his energy and charismatic persona as a talk show conservative. His major causes include shutting down immigration, emphasizing English language and American culture, and tax cuts matched by spending cuts.

Like all other right-wing talk show hosts, Savage's fans are devoted and his enemies are virulent. Positive and negative commentary on Savage is collected both on Savage's own site and on a site devoted to refuting him, savagestupidity.com.

According to one of his fans, "One can judge the accuracy of the truth by the amount of venomous hatred and lies the liberals attack it with." And according to one of his detractors, "There is no right word in the English language to describe this loser."

Actually, I can think of two words: successful, and popular. Whether or not you feel the word "correct" applies to Michael Savage, well, that's up to you.

TOMORROW: Return of the rock.