[colorado tanker]

I think you nailed it. I don't believe it's a coincidence that Rush began this independent streak right around the time word leaked out that O'Reilly was starting a nationwide talk show to challenge Rush. O'Reilly's schtick is his self-styled "independence" not part of any political camp. So, Rush shows his independence from Bush, creates lots of controversy (and lots of media attention, columns and FR posts), boosts ratings, and, most important, crushs O'Reilly, staying King of the Hill.

[habs4ever]

Rush may not realize that to be independent, you have also to be correct :-) Being an iconoclast just for appearences sake can put him in the crank category very quickly.He's treading a fine line now, and I doubt his vanity permits him to see how close he's edging towards parody.

[Paul Ross]

Man, you nailed it. Incisive and probability factor of being accurate, 95%.

[jackbill]

I think you nailed it. I don't believe it's a coincidence that Rush began this independent streak right around the time word leaked out that O'Reilly was starting a nationwide talk show to challenge Rush.

Time for you guys to refill your tin-foil.

Rush has said, time and time again, that he is a conservative who happens to be a Republican. He has a set of core principles, which he calls "conservative". Most of them I agree with. And I consider myself a conservative who happens to be a Republican.

That said, I will not drink RNC Kool-aid, nor will I drink Bush/Rove Kool-aid. And Rush isn't drinking it either.

Most of us recognize that we can't get everything that we want. We got a tax cut and we got the promise of some reasonable judges. We can live with a certain amount of "waffling", but one reaches a limit.

When Bush pushes a hugh increase in the education budget and caves on vouchers, when he signs CFR after admitting that, in his view, it is unconstitutional, when he supports expansion of Americorps, when he imposes steel tariffs (this one is goine to bite us big time), when he goes along with massive spending increases (pork laden) and refuses to use a veto, when he refuses to use his bully pulpit to promote his "conservative" ideas, when he backs off of privatization of Social Security, etc., etc., it becomes more than some of us are willing to swallow.