Rush The Slick

Rush Limbaugh twice proved on 12/11 on his syndicated radio program that he is master of the rhetorical sleight-of-hand. Here is some of what he said about the President-elect:

There is a trail of destruction that Obama leaves behind wherever he goes. I believe firmly, folks, none of it involves him. I don't think any of it touches him, but it's just amazing, utter destruction. ..... I believe the president-select when he says he had nothing to do with this and he knew nothing about this. I mean, he said he knew that Blagojevich was trying to make a deal. I mean he said that. He said he was not amenable to any deal making which means he had to know that deal making was going on. We don't know why he didn't report this to the authorities and nobody in the watchdog media asked him about it at his press conference today.

And in another segment Limbaugh contends: "I think it is very, very unfair to start making these wanton assumptions that our president-elect is tainted by this just because he knows all these people and they helped him get elected and helped him buy his house. I think it's very unfair of you to start making these giant leaps."

To review: Rush believes of Obama "all these people.... helped him get elected and helped him buy his house." Further, the incoming President knew about "deal making (but) "didn't report this to the authorities" and "leaves behind wherever he goes.... a trail of destruction." But so he isn't accused of unfairly accusing the president-elect, the top-rated demagogue assures us "I believe firmly, folks, none of it involves him."

And then there was Rush taking the call of a "dittohead" (one of his callers proud he can avoid the inconvenience of independent thought) criticizing the idea of a "car czar," intended to provide oversight to any automobile bailout/rescue plan. The caller refers to Ron Zarella, who apparently was with Bausch & Lomb before he was tappped to be CEO of General Motors, and associates Zarella, the immediate predecessor to current GM head Rick Wagoner, with design and introduction of the strange looking and ill-fated Pontiac Aztek. The conversation concludes:

RUSH: And that's the Bausch & Lomb guy that can see clearly now?

CALLER: Yes, sir.

RUSH: Okay. Doug, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, thanks much for the phone call. A lot of people ask me, "Rush, why is Bush is insistent that he appoint the car czar? Why is Bush wanting to do this? Why is Bush pushing this bailout?" I don't know, ladies and gentlemen, but I could hazard a wild guess, like the journalists do today. They may as well be forecasting the weather now rather than reporting the news.

So a corporation hires (in Limbaugh's view) an incompetent manager who mismanages the firm. And that is the demagogue's rationale for opposing.... appointing someone from outside the industry to provide oversight to a company that is mis-managed. If that doesn't make any sense to you, you evidently don't peddle a (repudiated) anti-government ideology, then twist facts and circumstances to (almost) justify the dogma.

And by the way, Rush: Obama is not "still a Senator." He resigned his seat on November 16. That is, though, a record for the $50 million a year talk-show host: only four weeks behind the times.