Limbaugh's school of hard knocks for other guys

Palm Beach Post ^ | Sunday, May 9, 2004 | Frank Cerabino

[new cruelty]

Rush Limbaugh is a slow learner.

That might explain why he looked at the sadistic photos from the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and likened them to some college fraternity high jinks.

Boolah, mullah! Boolah, mullah!

Most reasonable people expressed disgust by the sight of the bound, nude, hooded men in American custody being forced to degrade themselves sexually.

And Limbaugh surely would have, too, if it had been under the previous administration.

But Limbaugh's a referee without a whistle these days. So here's how he excused the inexcusable:

"This is no different than what happens at the Skull and Bones initiation, and we're going to ruin people's lives over it, and we're going to hamper our military effort, and then we are going to really hammer them because they had a good time," he said on his radio show.

Limbaugh added: "I'm talking about people having a good time. These people, you ever heard of emotional release? You heard of need to blow some steam off?"

I knew he was an apologist. But I just figured that in light of his newfound expertise in the realm of investigatory zeal run amok -- something he claims to have learned the hard way in Palm Beach County -- he might have temporarily burst through the wall of his professional limitations.

But, like I said, Limbaugh is apparently a slow learner.

And yet, there's hope.

There used to be a time when he thought that the problem with drugs was that we weren't locking up the people who got caught. This was during the days when he thought the American Civil Liberties Union was a flaky impediment to justice and criminal defense lawyers were an evil bunch of liberal simps who were out to subvert the truth by freeing the guilty on procedural maneuvers.

He has been educated through experience in that regard.

Caught in cross hairs of justice

Ever since the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office declined to respectfully turn a blind eye to Limbaugh's years of prescription drug abuse, he has become a champion of the drug addict caught in the cross hairs of justice. He talks of the pain of addiction, the need for treatment and the unfairness of prosecutors pursuing people with a personal problem.

If you go to Limbaugh's Web site these days, it's full of tales of horrific miscarriages of justice and calls to end investigatory techniques that we, as Americans, shouldn't stand for.

There are warnings about the "threat to the rule of law." Harassment we can't condone. And a horrible "fishing expedition" for information that should chill us to the core.

No, none of that is about the sadistic abuse at the Abu Ghraib prison.

It's all about Palm Beach County State Attorney Barry Krischer's having the nerve to document Limbaugh's drug abuse through the use of his medical records.

Oh, the horror!

From Limbaugh's bellowing, you'd think Krischer was breaking chemical lights and pouring the scorching phosphoric liquid over the naked talk-show host's... oh, never mind.

Besides, that's just "people having a good time."

All those naked Iraqis must be guilty of something, right? There can't be any innocent civilians rounded up by overzealous authorities. That never happens.

And as for the guilty -- well, the rights of people behind bars is just a left-wing abstraction.

For now. The slow learner better hope this isn't the next awakening in his education.

[Torie]

Rush is a very bright, articulate, informed, but swallow man, of limited wisdom, who panders to his audience for ratings. The man has no depth. He bores the hell out of me.

[wagglebee]

Yeah, having Rush in the bastion of ultraleft, but too stupid to read a ballot south Florida really burns these Palm Beach Post elitists.

[tbird5]

"He bores the hell out of me"

Then don't listen to him.

[Pukin Dog]

Is there a post on Rush Limbaugh that does NOT feature your negative opinion? Who asked you?

[GreatOne]

I've been listening to Rush since about 1990, and was really surprised at his comments about this. There is absolutley no defense for what occurred there. I can understand "softening them up" for interrogation, but making these prisoners strip and then stacking them up, with these military personnel posing like idiots is way, way, way, over the line. These are the type of statements that Rush has been able to avoid making over his years, because they do damage to his credibility at being simply an administration shill, instead of a conservative commentator.

[Texas Eagle]

All those naked Iraqis must be guilty of something, right? There can't be any innocent civilians rounded up by overzealous authorities. That never happens.

Ahhhhhh.....the author finally reveals his true anti-American colors.

[holdonnow]

I guess the 21 million who listen to him are just stupid, and you're smarter than the rest of us. The Palm Beach Post defended Clinton and his crimes, they love Kennedy despite his Oldsmobile accident ... I detest you libs.

[quidnunc]

Rush is a very good communicator and is very entertaining, but he's no intellectual, that's for sure.

[jla]

Rush is a very bright, articulate, informed, but swallow man, of limited wisdom, who panders to his audience for ratings

Anyone besides me see anything contradictory about this statement?

[Torie]

I have not to my best recollection, opined on Rush previously. If I have, it was a long time ago. I have previously dumped on Sean and O'Reilly though. Cheers.

[Torie]

I don't much anymore, actually.

[wagglebee]

Don't forget William Kennedy Smith, they were all over the woman he raped back in 91.

[Anti-Bush Hater]

First of all they are clearly taken out of context.

He was talking about the photos of a pile ofIraqi prisoners huddled on one another. This before the allegations(probably false because they come Batthist terrorist and other prisoner types)of rape and stuff came out.

What he said looked true from the pictures first released.

Prankish and not really that inflammatory.

[Voice in your head]

This story was publicized in the Army Times back in January or February. It has been investigated since January and criminal charges have been in the works. The release of these pictures (aka evidence) did not expose this story, rather it just changed it. This was being handled by the appropriate authorities in the appropriate manner, until some treasonous piece of feces leaked the photos to the press. Now, the Arab world can hold up a picture for their illiterate masses of puppets to look at in horror and outrage. The scum who leaked these pictures to the press should be fed alive to wild dogs. The slime at CBS should be crucified. Other than that, I have no strong opinions on this topic.

[Texas Eagle]

....but he's no intellectual, that's for sure.

Thank God. I believe it was William F. Buckley who said: "I'd rather be governed by the first 500 names in the Boston phone book than by the entire staff and faculty of Harvard."

[new cruelty]

swallow man

I am sure you meant 'shallow' man.

[holdonnow]

Rush didn't defend this, he said this has been taken completely out of context, and he's right. The same people who opposed us liberating 25 million Iraqis, who barely say a word about the mass graves, are now offended by this. Don't be a dupe.

[mcenedo]

Most reasonable people expressed disgust by the sight of the bound, nude, hooded men in American custody being forced to degrade themselves sexually.

And Limbaugh surely would have, too, if it had been under the previous administration.

If it had been under the previous administration, the situation would have been reversed (think Sudan) and the previous administration would never put terrorists that murdered Americans, under arrest.

[blarneystone]

I've been a listener for many years too. He's fun to listen to...but he was wrong to come across as defending those actions. Now that the Washington Post is reporting some pictures and videotape involving rape, how is he going to defend that?