Posted on 06/28/2006 6:04:09 PM PDT by Aussie Dasher
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Fox News host Bill O'Reilly is coming to the defense of his radio competitor Rush Limbaugh, claiming authorities in Palm Beach County, Fla., are "out to get" the conservative talk-show host, and are maliciously targeting him for prosecution.
"He is an American," O'Reilly said of Limbaugh last night on "The O'Reilly Factor," "and I believe powerful people in his home county are trying unjustly to harm him."
On Monday, Limbaugh was held up for more than three hours at Palm Beach International Airport after authorities found a bottle of Viagra pills in his possession prescribed to someone else.
Roy Black, Limbaugh's attorney, issued a statement noting a doctor had prescribed the drug, but it was "labeled as being issued to the physician rather than Mr. Limbaugh for privacy purposes."
Though Limbaugh was not arrested, O'Reilly noted it was unusual authorities checked the shaving kits of people flying on private planes, and that the story was leaked to the press almost immediately.
"This is malicious, and this is unnecessary," said O'Reilly. "I only can conclude that in Palm Beach, where Mr. Limbaugh lives, they're out to get this guy."
O'Reilly said he had no vested interest in coming to Limbaugh's defense, having met the fellow broadcaster only "once for about 10 seconds," but he ripped local officials for trying to destroy the most listened to man in the history of radio.
"It was a malicious, cheap, cheap tactic by the Palm Beach authorities, and they ought to be ashamed of themselves," he said. "If I were Limbaugh, I'd move right on out of there. I'd get out of there. ... This is a political persecution. That's what this is."
As WND previously reported, the state attorney's office is reviewing the case after being supplied a report from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
"We believe there may be a second-degree misdemeanor violation, which is possession of certain drugs without a prescription, because the bottle does not have his name on it," sheriff's spokesman Paul Miller told the Associated Press.
On Limbaugh's radio broadcast yesterday, he made light of the whole affair.
"I've been racking my brain. I'm trying to figure out how Bob Dole's luggage got on my airplane," Limbaugh clowned. "I told the doctor, I said, 'Look, I'm worried about the next election, not ... .'"
Former Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas is well-known for his use and endorsement of Viagra, a male sexual-enhancement drug.
In April, Limbaugh and the Florida state attorney, Democrat Barry Krischer, reached a settlement in a long-running prescription-drug investigation of the conservative radio giant, who termed the matter a political witch hunt as well as a "fishing expedition" by prosecutors.
Under the agreement, a single charge of doctor shopping was to be dismissed in 18 months if Limbaugh continues to seek treatment from the doctor he has seen for the past two and a half years for back pain.
*sniff*.....whewee, we got a stinker on this thread.
Be gone fool. Rush plead NOT GUILTY to the trumpted up allegations and the DA had zip, zilch, nada to charge him on.
Come back when you are out of diapers.
Rush needs to be VERY careful. It isn't hard to plant drugs on somebody. And nothing would surprise me anymore from the left.
Limbaugh is a victim only of his own hubris.
No, you're wrong. When the press has something bad or embarrassing on a conservative they never let go - O'Reilly did the right thing showing the two women "defenders" up for what they were - women who made "legal" decisions based on personal negative "feelings" for Limbaugh. Their types are nightmares for everyone who loves the law.
Time for Billy Goat Gruff to take care of this troll.
Rush never assigned blame anywhere for his addiction to pain killers. He took responsibility (unlike Patches Kennedy, until forced) and initiated treatment.
Now, I think you are probably not long for this forum. Don't let the door hit you in the butt on your way out.
I suppose somebody in diapers does know quite a bit about smells...
Someone said they'd rather get Rush than anyone except Bush.
I think they'd almost rather get Rush than ANYONE even Karl Rove.
Rush should have had HIS PILLS in HIS PILL BOTTLE and not under a FAKE NAME. End of story. Rush screwed up
I believe in his heart O'Reilly wants Rush to go down. I recall when Rush went Deaf O'reilly wanted to get on talk radio in his time slot to replace him and capture his audience.
Somebody could bump into Rush and plant a packet of illegal stuff. Or put some in his car, plane etc.
If I were him, for the next 15 months or so, I'd avoid announcing my movements in advance. And I'd hire a bodyguard if he doesn't already have one. Or two.
And I'd be alert for any changes in routine regarding his car or plane maintenance. Again, because stuff could be planted.
I disagree. If a doctor gives a patient a prescription for medicine, and the patient doesn't want their name on the bottle, that's the patient's choice, and not the government's. In Rush's case it was for privacy. I once took OxyContin and didn't want my address on the bottle for security purposes. I didn't want, for whatever reason, a discarded bottle falling into the wrong hands, causing junk heads coming to my place looking for drugs to break in. Did I screw up too?
You did not screw up. But some of these gov't policies are totally screwed.
Wow, Hildy, you hit the nail on the head. O'Reilly had no business even coveing this non-story. He definitley had a ruthless motive for even mentioning it.
Like I said, when you have pills in someone elses name and you go thru CUSTOMS of all places....it doesnt take a rocket scientist to know that you're asking for trouble
Too late..... he was the height of arrogance. He sided with the NYtimes (they did nothing wrong), said that an INTERNATIONAL COURT should be in charge of the terrorists at Gitmo, and when asked what he would have done different, he went into a tyrade about what Bush did wrong, not about what he would do. If he were stripped of his retirement benefits, I would call that a good start.
I don't know what's worse, Viagra gate, or people all over the internet making a huge fuss over his milisecond kiss with Mary Lynn "Chloe" Rajskub.
And THAT, Pepperdog is exactly the truth! When you're traveling, you have so much stuff and so much space. I throw everything into one bottle, and the last time, I used a film cannister! I know what each pill is, and if anybody wants to charge me with something ridiculous they can just do it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.