This hour of the Limbaugh Wire brought to you by Colin Powell, the new “titular head” of the GOP
By Greg Lewis and Karl Frisch

Rush began the final hour of his broadcast today noting it was “funny” how Robert Gibbs was saying Obama “will not make any decision that will place our security at risk,” in regards to Guantánamo. This gave Limbaugh an opportunity to plug his "thriving merchandise business."

After commenting on “Dingy” Harry Reid's lousy re-election numbers and the proposed soda tax in New York, Limbaugh changed gears. Rush gave a long, “inside baseball,” explanation of why minority-owned radio stations were weighted in such a manner that gave their minority listenership higher ratings than they might have actually had. But with the radio industry's newly adopted method of calculating ratings, which Rush explained is more accurate, it has revealed the ratings of minority-owned broadcasters to be lower than thought. This build up led to this Drudge-flagged Hill article about Democrats in Congress seeking a “financial rescue of minority-owned broadcasters.”

El Rushbo thought that the “irony here [was] delicious” because when Obama and Tim Geithner get involved, they buy companies. He further explained: “What's happening here is this is about statists owning media. This is the first step toward Obama and the government owning minority radio stations.” He later added that Obama, “the first black president,” is trying to take over the media by bailing out minority-owned broadcasting stations before declaring, “This is shades of Hugo Chavez.”

After the break, Limbaugh took a quick call from what sounded like a seriously depressed dittohead who was looking for “marching orders” because he was frustrated with everything going on. Rush told the caller that he too was waiting for marching orders, but from General Powell, who is now the titular head of the Republican Party. Har har ... har.

A quick commercial break and Rush was back talking about the Chrysler dealerships being closed. He read a Reuters article on some of these dealerships challenging the decisions to Chrysler, and then an American Thinker piece that featured a “letter from a Dodge dealer” whose franchise is being discontinued, which Rush read in full. Rush claimed that it was Obama who was the one “cutting” the dealerships and was glad to hear that some of the affected dealers would be taking action.

Then Rush changed focus slightly by going after Ron Gettelfinger and the UAW reading that the UAW is reportedly “reluctant” to be in the “driver's seat” at Chrysler and GM, despite their having a 55 percent stake in Chrysler and what will “likely get up to” a 38 percent stake in GM. Not surprisingly, Limbaugh had no kind words for the unions: “The truth of the matter is that Ron Gettelfinger and anybody at the UAW don't have a clue how to run a sustaining, profitable business. They only know how to leech from it. They only know how to complain. They only know how to whine about how evil management is.”

He later asserted that the union cares only about getting benefits: “It's not about making cars; it's not about advancing the business. They don't want any part of that. They just want the business to be around to be able to leech off of it.”

Finally, one last commercial break and it was time for Rush to bring his show to an end for the day. He began by airing a clip from MSNBC today, in which the anchors were seemingly taunting him in response to his challenge to the peacock network not to talk about him for 30 days. Before the show ended, Rush noted that MSNBC finally did report that he is no longer the titular head of the Republican Party. Rush said “that makes it official now” that Colin Powell “runs the show.”

Limbaugh then played an audio clip of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's speech today, in which she said, “We are being out-communicated by the Taliban and Al Qaeda. That is absolutely unacceptable.” Rush was outraged that she would suggest this, and exclaimed: “Mrs. Clinton, will you please tell me who it is that's been running this country down for the past seven years? It's you and your party. If anybody's responsible for our horrible image, and somehow a ”lack of knowledge about the greatness of democracy," it's the Democrat Party. It's Barack Obama, who's been running around the world apologizing for this country. You need to go make that speech inside the Oval Office, Mrs. Clinton."

Oh, and speaking of Secretary Clinton, Rush had this to say about Bill Clinton becoming a special envoy to Haiti: “I'm just gonna tell you, if I was named envoy to Haiti, I'd quit government. Envoy to Haiti? You can't even pick up a prostitute down there without genuine fear of AIDS. This is not Clinton's place.” Classy, as always.

That's it for the Limbaugh Wire for today, folks. Tomorrow, we expect Simon to be back from his vacation, rested and eager to get back to listening and writing about his favorite radio host. Vacations are overrated anyway -- they can't compare to getting your daily Rush fix.

Highlights from Hour 3

Outrageous remarks:

LIMBAUGH: What's happening here -- this is about statists owning media. This is the first step toward Obama and the government owning minority radio stations. Crisis is an opportunity after all, remember?

[...]

LIMBAUGH: Obama, the first black president, has cut the Chrysler ad budget in half; he's going to do the same thing to General Motors. That hurts the media, and in particularly the minority media, according to this story, so Obama will get an opportunity to buy into the broadcasting business. This is shades of Hugo Chavez.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: The truth of the matter is that Ron Gettelfinger and anybody at the UAW don't have a clue how to run a sustaining, profitable business. They only know how to leech from it. They only know how to complain. They only know how to whine about how evil management is.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: It's about benefits. It's not about making cars; it's not about advancing the business. They don't want any part of that. They just want the business to be around to be able to leech off of it.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: Mrs. Clinton, will you please tell me who it is that's been running this country down for the past seven years? It's you and your party. If anybody's responsible for our horrible image, and somehow a “lack of knowledge about the greatness of democracy,” it's the Democrat Party. It's Barack Obama, who's been running around the world apologizing for this country. You need to go make that speech inside the Oval Office, Mrs. Clinton.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: Bill Clinton, envoy to Haiti. I'm just gonna tell you, if I was named envoy to Haiti [laughing] I'd quit government. Envoy to Haiti? You can't even pick up a prostitute down there without genuine fear of AIDS. This is not Clinton's place.

Echo chamber:

Rush read from an American Thinker post at length.