On CNN's Crossfire: Two Republican reps distanced themselves from Limbaugh

Two Republican members of Congress, Representative Peter King (R-NY) and Representative Mike Pence (R-IN) -- appearing on CNN's Crossfire on May 12 and May 14 respectively -- disassociated themselves from radio host Rush Limbaugh's statements comparing the torture of Iraqi prisoners to a college fraternity prank:

From the May 14 Crossfire:

CROSSFIRE CO-HOST PAUL BEGALA: Congressman Pence, the group Media Matters for America is running an ad condemning Rush Limbaugh for comparing the prisoner abuse to a fraternity prank. Do you join in that condemnation or do you support Limbaugh's characterization of those atrocities?

REPRESENTATIVE MIKE PENCE (R-IN): I thought that characterization by Rush Limbaugh was very unfortunate. I think the behavior of those military personnel was truly disgraceful. They need to be brought to justice and any superiors responsible for that behavior need to be held to account.

From the May 12 Crossfire:

CROSSFIRE CO-HOST PAUL BEGALA: Congressman King, do you agree with the intellectual godfather, really, of the conservative movement and the Republican Party? And that is, of course, Rush Limbaugh, who compared the treatment of these prisoners to a fraternity initiation and in fact a Skull and Bones initiation, which is some sort of secret society at Yale. Do you agree with that or do you condemn those remarks?

REPRESENTATIVE PETER KING (R-NY): I wouldn't use those remarks at all.

—K.B.