By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

Not surprisingly, Sarah Palin has put herself in Glenn Beck's corner.

It's a crafty bid by the former Alaska governor to take advantage of the controversy surrounding Beck.

In July he gained national attention (and plenty of well-deserved ridicule) for calling President Barack Obama a "racist."

Now, his FOX News show is being boycotted by liberal groups.

Palin's stand is a way for her to gain credence with Beck's several million ardent conservative believers.

Palin this week says on her Facebook page:

"FOX News' Glenn Beck is doing an extraordinary job this week walking America behind the scenes of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and outlining who is actually running the White House. Monday night he asked us to invite one friend to watch; tonight I invite all my friends to watch."

Beck has gained attention in recent months as liberal groups try to convince advertisers not to pay to support his show.

They've had plenty of success, notably because of Beck's "racist" comment and his stance that Obama has a "deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture."

As of Thursday, more than 16,000 people had used their Facebook accounts to say they liked what Palin had said about Beck.

And her comment on Beck had attracted more than 4,000 comments, most of them positive.