Rush Limbaugh is under fire for calling anti-war military "phony soldiers."
Harry Reid has asked Limbaugh's bosses at Clear Channel to discipline him for "hateful" and "unpatriotic" remarks. Limbaugh has upped the ante by calling one soldier who has attacked him a "suicide bomber." That soldier has told Limbaugh to stop "nursing the boils on his ass." Wesley Clark has said that Limbaugh's show should come off of Armed Forces Radio.
(Watch the video of Reid here and of Rush's response here.)
And so the wheel of idiocy keeps turning...
Let me clarify. When I say "wheel of idiocy," what I mean is a circular process, populated by one or more idiots on one or more sides of an issue. Rush Limbaugh is an entertainer more than he is a politician. I agree with him about almost nothing. But I do agree that he has the right -- and, more importantly, the compulsion, to make inflammatory statements. He has, for years, lobbed rhetorical grenades into every foxhole he could find. It's what he does. Is he for the troops, in general? Is he against them? There is more evidence to support the former than the latter, obviously, but there is even more evidence to support the "who cares?" thesis. Evidently Harry Reid cares, because he's wasting the the Senate's time asking for Limbaugh, a radio host -- an entertainer -- to be disciplined. This responds to idiocy with idiocy and is consequently a Wheel of Idiocy.
When the Republicans in the Congress went after the Moveon.org ad undermining General Petraeus, I thought it was a monumental bit of foolishness. This is, too. Just because one person's an idiot doesn't mean that others people should respond in kind. These kind of responses violate one of the fundamental rules of intelligent debate: don't get drawn down to their level. Instead, what's happening is that Democrats are attacking Limbaugh, and conservatives are defending Limbaugh by attacking Democrats -- by way of proving that Limbaugh is not anti-soldier, Sean Hannity has been playing his tiresome montage of Murtha/Kerry/Obama anti-military remarks. Your guys said unwise things, too, so our guys aren't wrong. Bad blood, bad thinking, bad business. Ecch. Idiots.
I am using the word "idiot" imprecisely here. I am lobbing a rhetorical grenade. In this post, this one right here, I am part of the problem. But that's the insidious nature of these kinds of slap fights. They reminds me of that scene in "Police Squad" where Leslie Nielsen and a crook are shooting at each other. The camera shows Nielsen, then the crook, then Nielsen, then the crook. Then it pans back to show that they're only a few feet away from each other. That's funny. Then their guns run out of bullets and so they start throwing their guns at each other. That's funnier. And that's what's happening. And we keep watching, because we like comedy. What gets lost, of course, is real debate. The most cynical part of me wonders if this isn't intentional -- if it isn't easier for politicians and commentators to keep the debate in the idiotic rhetorical realm instead of dealing with substance. It's easier for the politicians on both sides of the issue because it distracts us from the fact that they have gotten us into a mess (war supporters) or can't get us out of that mess (war opponents). And it's easier for commentators because it gives them ratings boosts, reader boosts, and cash in the pocket. Ann Coulter, appearing on Sean Hannity's radio show, said that she envies Limbaugh his condemnation by Harry Reid, because it's the equivalent of free advertising. She's right, of course.
In the end, it's worth wondering whether an idiotic controversy is good for anyone (it's not), and whether it should be thought of as a controversy at all (it's not). Frankly, it seems more like a conspiracy. I don't mean a conspiracy in the towers-can't-fall-from-a-plane-crashing-into-them-so-let's-look-for-a-bomb sense, but rather a conspiracy by message makers in the media and Congress to take everyone's eye off the ball. When the sun goes down on this dumb little "phony soldiers" hiccup, just like when the sun went down on the General Betray Us hiccup or the O'Reilly hiccup or the Imus hiccup or the a million other tempests in teapots, people in power will have stalled another day without solving anything -- or, for that matter, showing most Americans a clear difference between the right and the left, except that the right barks at the left and the left barks at the right. Let radio people say whatever they want. Stop pretending to be outraged and giving them so much attention. And force politicians to govern. No country, not even one this size, needs so many windbags.
Mo Rocca has appeared on a bunch of shows, including 'The Daily Show,' 'I Love the 80s,'...
Mo's Blog Roll
Resources
Phony Outrage at Phony Rush's 'Phony Soldiers' Comment
Posted Oct 3rd 2007 10:57AM by Ben Greenman
Filed under: Scandal, Media, Rush Limbaugh
Mo's Video
The Sound of a Smoke-Free Barack...Almost two years ago we speculated on how Barack Obama's voice would change if he stopped smoking. ...
Most Popular Stories
- Don't Like Goodbyes...
- Pittsburgh Steelers: Is it Time to get some Cheerleaders?
- How NOT to give an Oscar Acceptance Speech
- Could Jim Belushi Win the Nobel Peace Prize?
- Spring Break Sexy T-Shirt Removal Training!
- Quest for the Crown 5: Plastic Wrap to Make you Less Fat!
- Quest for the Crown 4: Work Those Heels!
Most Commented On
-
Coming Soon
Recent Comments
- SC on Are Father-Daughter Purity Balls Really Christian?
- Ryan Anderson on Obama and the Reagan Doctrine
- Roert Dean on General Clark is Absolutely Right!
- mac on Obama and the Reagan Doctrine
- Saint Brian the Godless on Obama and the Reagan Doctrine
- Saint Brian the Godless on Obama and the Reagan Doctrine
- Edward Baker on Catholic Church Releases Pedophile Coloring Book
Mo's Bio
Mo Rocca appears on a bunch of shows, including CBS News Sunday Morning (with the indescribably wonderful Charles Osgood), The Tonight Show on NBC, and NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! He's a sometime judge on Iron Chef and was featured on Telemundo's Amore Descarado. Last year he starred on Broadway in the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. His expose "All the President's Pets" was published by Crown in 2004.
Top News Headlines
Political Machine Blog
- Something About Mary: The (Feminist!) Feast of the Immaculate Conception
- Colin Powell Portrait Unveiled to Tears and Cheers
- Can Chris Dodd be Beat in 2010? Wrestlemania Comes to Connecticut
- Health Insurance: All for One and None for All?
- Obama's Afghanistan Decision and the Art of the Tick-Tock
- 21 Songs of 21st Century Politics
- Investigation Finds No Pattern of Illegal Activity at ACORN
Reader Comments ( Page 2 of 7)
16. BT YOU SOUND LIKE CHEVEZ! SCARY THOUGHT!!! THE FAIRNESS DOC IS MISNAMED, IT SHOULD BE THE UNFAIRNESS DOC. PEOPLE ON THE RIGHT AND LEFT THAT ARE ON RADIO ARE BOTH AGAINST THIS TYPE OF SILENCEING OF PEOPLES VOICES! IF YOU ARE FOR THIS DOCTRINE THEN YOU ARE NOT FOR FREE SPEECH!
SUE at 4:14PM on Oct 3rd 2007
17. Phony soldier? Where was Rush Limbaugh during Vietnam?
Joan Bartos at 4:42PM on Oct 3rd 2007
18. Let the man talk, he is an idiot. Personally I don't know the whole situation cuz I don't care.
David McCool at 5:00PM on Oct 3rd 2007
19. Rush reminds me of Joseph Goebbels. Check out Goebbels speech about Radio. sounds just like the things Rush says
http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/goeb56.htm
Heidi at 5:12PM on Oct 3rd 2007
20. Rush did NOT say what Reid and the rest of the "blow hard" libs are saying..... And THATS the outrage! Waisting time on the House floor, ranting about something that NEVER happened.... Its amazing, just amazing.....
Mark at 6:49PM on Oct 3rd 2007
21. First, you all have to realize that this is not the whole story, and the author, as well as Harry Reid know this.
1. Limbaugh's comment was not directed towards soldiers in general, but to an actual person who was never a soldier but pretended to.
2. This is the liberals' (i.e., Harry Reid) opportunity to try to discredit someone who has done great work progressing conservativism...besides that this is pretty much the only thing this congress is good at...
3. ANYONE who listens to Rush regularly knows that he is one of the greatest supporters of the military, and has been since before he was on radio.
James at 8:42PM on Oct 3rd 2007
22. We all know that Rush was NOT talking about "one soldier". So, please let's get of the kool-aid long enough to recognize what a dispicable disgusting thing this man is. And recognize when he is the one doing all the smearing. Furthermore, he had the nerve to edit that entire segmant of his comments, he deleted or did not play a minute and a half. How dare he!!
He is so pro and ready for war and never served a day in his little miserable life.
He may have the right to feel and think what he wants. But, he certainly does not have the balls to admit he is dead wrong!! Nor did he have them to serve his country.
It's so much easier to blame EVERYONE else.
He is nothing but a hypocrit and disgusting drug addict. Comment #1 hit the nail on the head. Why is this man, not in jail for his abuse with drugs???
Patty at 9:43PM on Oct 3rd 2007
23. Boils on his ass? I guess he is referring to the ass-boils that kept the Limbaughster out of the army, back in the day!
Bruce Peterson at 12:53AM on Oct 4th 2007
24. Here are a number of pertinent facts:
1)Rush has supported the military in a big way for over two decades.
2)Harry Reid, John Kerry, Barrack Obamma, Ted Kenedy, John Murtha and Dick Durbin have said our military is "losing", is killing babies, is firebombing villages, is torturing Iraqis, murdering civilians in "cold-blood" and is acting like Nazi and Stalinist thugs, respectively.
3)There are phony soldiers (like Jesse McBeth) who have falsified their credentials and discredited real soldiers by doing so. They've also falsified reports of US military atrocities. That's what Rush was talking about.
4)The left continues to say they support the troops, but continue to say the troops have killed (even murdered) 500,000 to 650,000 civilians in Iraq, while the UN, hardly a participant in the "vast right-wing conspiracy", says the real number of civilian deaths in Iraq is 70,000 or so.
5)The media matters/Geo Soros/MoveOn.Org effort to vilify Rush comes at a time when Congress has an approval rating of 11% and is desperate to change the subject to anything but their dismal failure. And what better target than Rush, a guy their kook base hate even more than Congress?
Dave at 12:58AM on Oct 4th 2007
25. I was appalled the Conservatives' condemnation of Move On.org ad against Petreaus. It was their right to protest in this so-called "free" society in which we live. While Rome burns, Nero fiddles. But, we are in a war for the hearts and minds of America. If the only thing that people see is one side that complains and attacks, while the other side takes it on the chin, some may think that the latter is weak. It's about time the Democrats fought back against the constant barrage of insults from the right wing. For years, they got away with their hit and run tactics. After the truth came out on page 12 of the newspaper, most people just assumed that the whiners were right.
Whether we like it or not, this country finds negative advertising attractive and effective. John McCain, one of their own, could trace his lost to GW Bush in South Carolina to a rumor that he had a black child. The story was false, but John lost because he didn't deny it immediately and with as much vigor as his detractors.
I'm all for taking the high ground, and I've stayed a Democrat for that reason alone. But I'm also a realist. Don't let the dogs tear you down. Stand up and fight back. They have utilized every facet of their resources, like Rush, Dinesh D'souza and Jeff Gannon to spread inunendo and lies about Democrats. It's time to fed it back to them with flavor.
Rod at 1:55AM on Oct 4th 2007
26. Phony soldiers? What about phony journalists like Jeff Gannon, aka, James Guckert. It was Jeff who lobbied soft balls, sorry for the pun, at GW during a White House Press meeting. It turns out that he wasn't a "journalist" at all, but really a self described male escort, aka, gay hooker. This person got inside the White House even when the press corp wasn't working. He knows has his own blog and still pretends to be an official journalist. In reality, Jeff or James, worked for a right wing propoganda organization that invented a news entity called Talon.
It's true that Rush never served a day in the military, but neither did a lot of the right winged shrills who are best referred to as chicken hawks. Rush is an entertainer that makes money everytime someone writes a word about him. Opps, he just made another $100. He has broken federal laws doctor and pharmacist shopping for phony prescriptions of oxycodon. He could be considered an addict. To make matters worst, he flew over to the Dominican Republic to have sex with prostitutes there. When his plane was searched, he had a bottle of Viagra under the name of someone else. This was in violation to his oxycodone probation. He should have been imprisoned now.
Rush started his political radio dynasty in my hometown. This isn't the first time he's run off in the mouth, and it won't be the last time. In the future, just blame his blubbering on the drugs and have pity on him. As for those that defend him, they have no excuse except that they've drunk the kool-aid flavored concoction. They are as hooked on him as he was on his drugged. Forgive them, for they know not what they do.
Rod at 2:18AM on Oct 4th 2007
27. #13 BT
You are completely misinformed like the usual Liberal. The Fair Doctrine will give again I repeat "Give" you dems a right to be on the radio wether you have listeners or not, obviously no one wants to be forced to hear your commie propaganda let alone have to finance it.
This is America we have free markets, so if your pinko commie propaganda is wanted then go for it SWIM!! You already control the media(CNN,NBC,MSNBC,CBS,Hollywood) what more do you want ?
OHH YEAH you want the radio to be given to you too!! UNBELIEVABLE you comies talk all your propaganda cause we AMERICANS are waking up to YOU!!!!
Manny at 5:31AM on Oct 4th 2007
28. #26 ROD
PLEASE read Robert Kennedy 8,9, and 10 for facts, also talking about chickens why won't the CHICKEN DEMOCRATS debate on Fox, afraid of hard probing questions?
For those of you ill witted who have no dignity or have never been in severe pain,it consumes you day and night. It consumes you, because you get no rest
only slight relief and you obsess over being without your medicine god forbid so people lets have a little dignity and compassion I'm sure some of you die hard lefties are able to.
I personally appreciate spirited debate with a little compasion.
THANK YOU!!!!
Manny at 5:46AM on Oct 4th 2007
29. OH Manny, Manny, Manny...
Just let Rush take his oxycontin and let it go, just let it go...
Manny, death count on Reuters is approximately 600,000 or more, I do not think that is a lib, pinko (like me) news agency.
rhodalee at 7:07AM on Oct 4th 2007
30. Ummm...Is it just me or did most of the previous posts miss the point? He pretty much called all sides in the circle of idiocy (can you have sides in a circle?) on their foolishness. Get with the program...our governors are not governing, our legislators are not legislating, and it seems as though the judges are not really interpreting the law as much as they are selecting the party line's interpretation of the law. Am I suggesting we vote in a third party? Not really, because all the others (Green, Libertarian, whatever) are generally as guilty. Like he said...keep your eye on the ball. Force the governors, whoever they are, to actually govern with some semblance of aloofness from this sort of ridiculousness. Hold them accountable for things that matter, not lying about cheating on their wives (true and we would definitely all come clean with this when asked, right?)or consistently mangling English by saying nukular rather than nuclear making one unintelligent (not true). As long as we continue to let these pedantic mutterings control the ship of our Country without accountability beyond nonsensical inconsequential surface issues and whether someone might be offended by a remark (God forbid) we will continue to lose any moral authority we imagine we ever had.
TomThumb at 8:53PM on Jan 27th 2008