This hour of the Limbaugh Wire brought to you by Rush's warped vision of Obama's vision of America
By Simon Maloy

Rush came back for the second hour by noting that the California Supreme Court voted to uphold that state's ban on gay marriage. All Rush wanted to know is whether there will be more rioting in California over this. Then in was on to Rush's latest poll numbers from CNN, which found that “Americans have a much more favorable opinion of Powell than Cheney or Limbaugh.” Rush didn't buy this -- he insisted that he was one of the most popular people in America. But the poll was irrelevant anyway, he said, because Rush doesn't hold elected office.

Before the first break, Rush touched on a new study which found that unhappiness among women in America is rising. Rush wished that the study had differentiated between liberal and conservative women, and posited that the study would have to be redone in the wake of Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme Court nomination to see if it made women happier.

After the break Rush took his first call, this one from a man suggesting that Rush get cracking on his “teaching tour,” because this is the perfect time to explain to America why “originalist” justices are the only acceptable option for the Supreme Court. Rush reiterated his insistence that the GOP oppose Sotomayor because that's the best way to demonstrate to the country who Obama really is. Regarding the promotion of “originalist” justices, Rush said that it's going to be very hard for Republicans to talk about that because of Sotomayor's personal story, which Rush said was amazing and quintessentially American. What needs to be said about her story, Rush said, is that it happened during the Reagan, Bush, and Clinton years -- the period of American history for which Obama, in Rush's view, is constantly apologizing. Rush explained: “She's done it all. That shouldn't have been possible in the America Obama believes in. Sonia Sotomayor, if you listen to Barack Obama, should not be. We should never have heard of her.”

Now, this makes absolutely no sense. It makes no sense because it doesn't comport at all with the vision of America Obama offers. We know this because Obama frequently speaks of another American whose accomplishments during the Reagan/Bush/Clinton years are a testament to the greatness of America -- himself.

Anyway, Rush led into the break by saying that the Republicans on the Judiciary Committee should acknowledge Sotomayor's story and congratulate her on it, and then point out her lack of judicial qualifications. But they won't do it, Rush said, because Republican moderates are dying to get as many Latino votes as possible.

After the break, Rush took a call from a man who said that the Supreme Court nomination could have been worse in that he could have picked Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm. Rush said that it would be better to have Granholm on the court than in charge of the entire state of Michigan, but that's neither here nor there because, he says, “You can't do worse than this. And the reason you can't do worse than this is this woman does not use the law. I don't care what liberal judge Obama finds, it's going to be bad for the law. It doesn't matter who it is. This woman may be as radically bad as the Supreme Court can get, simply because of her jurisprudence.” Rush again said that Republicans have to oppose Sotomayor because you have to look towards the future and there are elections to consider, though Rush said he can't see Republicans filibustering the nomination in the committee. We assume he thinks that's a good thing, because Rush is on record proclaiming the filibustering of judicial nominees as “unconstitutional, in my layman's view.”

Rush's next caller said this is the time for a true conservative to come out and publicize the fact that they are opposed to Sotomayor, and then they'll be in the spotlight as a conservative who is not afraid of Obama or the media. Rush said what she wants someone the media is going to love, but any conservative with any aptitude will be torn to shreds by the media. The media hated Reagan, Rush said, and now they despise Rush. Their policy is destruction, personal character destruction, and conservatives don't do that (HA!). According to Rush, conservatives go after people on the issues.

One more break and Rush was back with another caller, this one wanting to know why the Iranians and North Koreans act provocatively by test-firing missiles and setting off nuclear weapons. Rush said this goes back to Biden warning during the campaign that Obama would be tested. The Iranians and the North Koreans are both defying the United States, Rush said. They're conducting a “trade show” for nuclear technology, demonstrating to people like Hugo Chavez what they have for sale.

Highlights from Hour 2

Outrageous comments

LIMBAUGH: And yet here is this minority female Latina. She's Puerto Rican. She grew up in the South Bronx. Her father died when she was 8 or 9. She was diagnosed with diabetes. As Obama told today, she was told because of diabetes she -- and her minority status -- she'd never get anywhere. And yet she got into Princeton. And then she got into Yale Law. And then she got onto all these courts, she worked for Morgenthau's DA office in Manhattan. She's done it all. That shouldn't have been possible in the America Obama believes in. Sonia Sotomayor, if you listen to Barack Obama, should not be. We should never have heard of her.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: Look, I don't think you can -- Todd, this is really tough. You can't do worse than this. And the reason you can't do worse than this is this woman does not use the law. I don't care what liberal judge Obama finds, it's going to be bad for the law. It doesn't matter who it is. This woman may be as radically bad as the Supreme Court can get, simply because of her jurisprudence.