Hour 3: Self-identified Republican calls Rush a "brainwashed Nazi" for his dismissal of torture

This hour of the Limbaugh Wire brought to you by the naïve Obama-Reagan-AP anti-nuke conspiracy
By Simon Maloy

El Rushbo got the final hour started by returning to the Pew poll, claiming that the wide partisan gap in the results shows that this is a bipolar country, and that the people on the right who say conservatism needs to be reformed are dead wrong. According to Rush, the Tea Parties -- which, unlike Earth Hour or the Segway PUMA, are in no way a threat to your individuality -- represent the fact that the conservative and Republican movements are without leaders who are willing to stand up for conservatism, so common people are taking the initiative on their own. None of this will be reported by the media, though, because, as Rush has often explained, they're too invested in Obama, and keep reporting that everyone loves Obama even though that is "a giant myth."

Back from the break, a caller asked Rush about Defense Secretary Robert Gates' recently unveiled budget for the military. Rush said Gates' approach is: "We're going to go high-tech. We're going to get more intel, and we're going to -- we don't need the F-22." Now, first of all, Rush might be the only person in the world who would suggest that the F-22 Raptor does not qualify as "high-tech." Secondly, he has it exactly backwards about Gates -- as The Washington Post put it, the budget "highlights Gates's long-stated desire to increase spending on surveillance systems and other relatively low-tech weapons that are best suited for guerrilla or irregular war, which has traditionally been an industry backwater." Rush went on to quip: "This is just Obama. Democrats do two things: They raise taxes and cut defense." In reality, Obama is increasing defense spending.

Rush went on to reprise his theory that Russian and Iranian leaders are loving Obama because he's surrendered the country's "moral ... authority" in calling for an end to nuclear weapons. According to Rush, Obama is "the spitting image of Neville Chamberlain," resurrecting a tired attack from the '08 campaign.

Another break, and Rush returned to a feisty, self-identified Republican caller who faulted Rush for the GOP's losses in 2008 -- specifically "Operation Chaos" and Rush's ongoing dismissal of torture. Rush, according to the caller, is a "brainwashed Nazi." Well, that obviously didn't sit too well with Rush, who responded: "Barack Obama is president of the United States today because of stupid, ignorant people who think like you do."

Then it was time for another caller, this one considerably more friendly, asking Rush about some sort of $80 billion tax on the oil industry. Rush didn't really know what she was talking about, but assumed it to be true, saying that the real threat was from cap-and-trade, but that appears to be on the wayside at the moment. Rush once again offered up his theory that the Obama administration is purposefully raising gas prices to impel Americans to buy smaller cars.

One more break and Rush returned with a few barbs for the AP, attacking this analysis that described Obama's no-nukes initiative as "not so farfetched." Rush said this betrayed breathtaking naiveté on the part of the AP, and only reinforced his belief that the leaders of Russia and China were ecstatic at Obama's election because "they know" that "liberals in this country ... believe all of the Soviet communist propaganda that was put out for 40 years: It's the U.S.' fault." It should be pointed out that in reading from the AP analysis, Rush carefully avoided the portion in which it discussed Ronald Reagan's "dream of eliminating nuclear weapons," which the Gipper advanced "at a 1986 summit with Soviet President [sic] Mikhail Gorbachev and the two leaders agreed to pursue that goal."

The show ended the only way it could have -- with some more bashing of the PUMA. A caller phoned in to agree with Rush's declaration that the purpose of the vehicle was to handicap the able-bodied, and Rush said this whole situation is identical to when he lashed out at the Sierra Club in 1995 when they protested the SUV.

Well, that's it for today's Wire. We're not sure that the hours spent today on the PUMA were a significant step up from bondage jokes and Princess Fluffy Bunny, but we've three more days to get things moving in a positive direction. We're nothing if not eternal optimists... Anyway, we'll see you tomorrow. As always, we encourage you to visit the Limbaugh Library, helpfully provided and maintained by Media Matters for America.

Highlights from Hour 3

Outrageous comments

LIMBAUGH: Do you realize the moral leadership or authority we have surrendered in claiming we can't stop the Iranians. We can't stop -- do you realize how much is being repeated? I'm going to tell you who Obama is in world history: Neville Chamberlain. He is the spitting image of Neville Chamberlain. Neville Chamberlain was as popular as Obama when he got back from visiting Hitler.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: They think we're fools for electing Obama already. I guarantee you that the mullahs, and [Vladimir] Putin, and [Dmitry] Medvedev, and Hu Jintao in China celebrated the day Obama got elected because they know what liberals in this country believe. They believe all of the Soviet communist propaganda that was put out for 40 years: It's the U.S.' fault. That's why he's going to be applauded. That's why I told you he is applauded. He's applauded over there. These people hope he means it. They're going to try to hold him to it.

America's Truth Rejector

Rush falsely suggested Obama cut defense spending:

LIMBAUGH: I would rather put the cuts in Defense where they belong. I mean, you can blame the Chi-coms all you want, but it's Barack Obama ordering them, right? Well, who cares why? If Obama -- he's cutting the expansion of defense systems.

The secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, who is a holdover from the Bush administration, says, "Yeah, well, we don't really need all these anymore. We're going to go high-tech. We're going to get more intel, and we're going to -- we don't need the F-22. We don't need this. We don't need that." We don't need the new Navy destroyers, cruisers -- whatever the hell they are.

This is just Obama. Democrats do two things: They raise taxes and cut defense.

Vox populi

LIMBAUGH: Charles, Barack Obama is president of the United States today because of stupid, ignorant people who think like you do. You pose -- you and your ignorance are the most expensive commodity this country has. You think you know everything. You don't know diddly-squat. You call me a Nazi? You call me somebody who supports torture and you want credibility on this program? You know, you're just plain embarrassing and ludicrous.

Clips from this hour:

Caller criticizes Limbaugh, Hannity, etal, on torture: "It's like you're all brainwashed"

Limbaugh: "The Mullahs and Putin and Medvedev and Hu Jintao in China celebrated the day Obama got elected" because they know liberals believe old Soviet propaganda

Limbaugh: "I'm going to tell you who Obama is in world history: Neville Chamberlain"