This hour of the Limbaugh Wire brought to you by the now former titular head of the Republican Party

Rush began his second hour with an important announcement. First, he explained how, in recent months, he has been anointed the “titular” head of the Republican Party by the Obama White House and the drive by media. But as of today, Limbaugh announced that he is officially resigning as the titular head of the Republican Party. “I quit,” he said, “I resign as the titular head of the Republican Party.”

But that wasn't all. Rush then “pass[ed] the baton” to Colin Powell, appointing him as titular head of the Republican Party. Rush explained that it would now be up to Powell, the new titular head of the party, to instruct the party on the things it needs to do to win in 2010 and 2012 and beat back the “onslaught of Obamaism.” (As we noted, Limbaugh said in the previous hour that Powell “represents the stale, the old, the worn-out GOP that never won anything.”)

Then Rush moved on to some sound bites, the first from “infobabe” Contessa Brewer on MSNBC, who was seemingly ignoring Rush's challenge to the network to not mention him for 30 days. Later, Rush addressed comments made by “the former moderate Republican from Connecticut” Chris Shays yesterday on MSNBC. Shays, discussing the plight of northeastern Republicans, said that if there isn't a national party that will allow you to represent your constituents, then you shouldn't be in it. Rush's response to Shays was to suggest that it was Shays who abandoned his voters.

After the break, Rush took his first caller of the afternoon. The dittohead echoed Limbaugh's complaints on the Los Angeles Times coverage of yesterday's California special election, and said that he's a “right-wing extremist” because he felt the media had been a serious problem in the country for forty years. Rush might as well have responded with a resounding “Ditto!” Rush went on to criticize a “snarky” editorial in the Sacramento Bee.

Returning from another commercial time out, Rush read from an ABC News story headlined, “America's Richest Givers Hold Secret Meeting in New York.” Rush's discussion of the story, however, was rather strange, and makes us wonder if he actually read much of the article. In response to the story, Rush asked what “problems” the billionaires mentioned -- Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and others -- had with philanthropy. Why, Rush asked, did they have to have a meeting to discuss the “problems” in donating? After reading the article, we wondered what the heck Rush was talking about, since it doesn't appear to say or suggest that any of the attendees of the meeting had “problems” with donating and their nonprofits. Anyway, Rush also blamed the fact that nonprofits are hurting for donations on the Obama administration, because as we all know by now, Obama is responsible for the lousy economy.

Then it was on to more talk about Obama's plans to close the prison at Guantánamo Bay, and the speed bumps it has been facing. Rush commented on the recent development that Senate Democrats plan to block funding for the closure of the prison until a plan where to put the detainees is decided upon. El Rushbo had a theory for this: “People think that the Democrats realize these's some really dangerous people down there. That's not it -- it's to give Obama cover. This is to cover Obama's ignorance. This is to cover Obama's stupidity last January in unilaterally announcing that Club Gitmo will close in January of 2010.” He later added: “I tell ya, this is cover for Obama, 'cause the little boy president went out there and did something absolutely ignorant and stupid, and he's got to be covered for it now.”

Rush also maintained his highly critical stance towards Obama's plan to close “Gitmo” reminding his audience of the Limbaugh-Cheney solution: “keep it open.” He also opined on the notion that keeping the prison open creates more terrorists because it is used for propaganda purposes. “There's more evidence,” said Rush, “that we evolved from that lemur monkey 47 million years old than there is Guantánamo Bay created more terrorists.”

Highlights from Hour 2

Outrageous remarks:

LIMBAUGH: People think that the Democrats realize these's some really dangerous people down there. That's not it -- it's to give Obama cover. This is to cover Obama's ignorance. This is to cover Obama's stupidity last January in unilaterally announcing that Club Gitmo will close in January of 2010.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: I tell ya, this is cover for Obama, 'cause the little boy president went out there and did something absolutely ignorant and stupid, and he's got to be covered for it now.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: There's more evidence that we evolved from that lemur monkey 47 million years old than there is that Guantánamo Bay created more terrorists.