During the January 23 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Rush Limbaugh characterized Osama bin Laden's recently released audiotape as an echo of Democratic criticisms of President Bush, saying that Democrats would “eat ... up” bin Laden's message. Limbaugh said, "[H]ere comes bin Laden actually suggesting a truce," adding: “Well, the Democrats will eat that up because, while they can't trust George W. Bush, they can trust Osama bin Laden.” He also claimed that the bin Laden “videotape that came out right before the election last year [2004] ... could've been a [Sen.] John Kerry [D-MA] speech. You know, 75 percent of it.” Limbaugh's comments repeat claims made by other members of the media who have also used the bin Laden tape to denounce critics of the Bush administration's conduct of the Iraq war. As Media Matters for America previously noted, since the release of the tape, Fox News' Sean Hannity and MSNBC's Chris Matthews -- among others -- have made allegations similar to Limbaugh's.

Later in the broadcast, Limbaugh aired a skit featuring apparent impersonators of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) and bin Laden, in which the statements spoken in English by the Kennedy impersonator were followed by statements in Arabic spoken by the bin Laden character. When the skit ended, Limbaugh asked: “Wait a minute, who's translating who, there? Sounds like Ted Kennedy telling bin Laden what to say.”

Finally, apparently referring to his own comments alleging that Democrats agree with bin Laden, Limbaugh added: “And the little liberal media websites will have conniptions and they'll go nuts and so forth. The same pattern will fall -- or follow as -- as it always does.”

From the January 23 broadcast of The Rush Limbaugh Show:

LIMBAUGH: But ... and make a joke, and, by gosh, here comes bin Laden actually suggesting a truce, a stand-down. This is -- you know, this is -- this is right out of the way the communists played the game. Right out of the way all of our superpower adversaries in the past have played the game. “Well, let's call a ceasefire. Well, let's call a truce.” Well, the Democrats will eat that up because, while they can't trust George W. Bush, they can trust Osama bin Laden.

[...]

If you listen to Democrats, the focus of evil in the modern world is George W. Bush. And here comes bin Laden offering a truce? Right up the Democrats' alley. In fact, the -- the -- bin Laden, I think, parrots the -- well, I'm not sure about this [sound]bite. No, I'm not -- I'm not -- I'm not going to go to it, 'cause I'm not sure we have the bin Laden [sound]bite.

But I'm told that -- that bin Laden parroted the Democrats right down to ridiculing the “Mission Accomplished” banner -- you know, on the aircraft carrier. Did he do that in the -- in the tape? Did you hear it, or --

Well, at any rate, if he did, the Democrats also did that. The bin Laden videotape that came out right before the election last year, well, 2004, could've been a John Kerry speech; you know, 75 percent of it.

[... ]

We have some more of the Osama bin Laden tape, ladies and gentlemen, and translation. Just listen to it for yourself.

[...]

Wait a minute, who's translating who, there? Sounds like Ted Kennedy was telling bin Laden what to say.

Now, to prove my point, folks, 'cause I've been getting some wide-eyed stares from Snerdley, today, when I say, “The Democrats look at, to me -- to me -- they look to Bush as the enemy.” They don't see bin Laden as the enemy. They see Bush as the enemy.

Well, bin Laden and the Democrats sound similar, would you not agree? What is so outrageous about that? It's not -- you know what? It's not outrageous. You just can't believe I'm actually saying it.

You can't believe I'm actually -- well, you know what's going to happen. After I've said it, it's going to pop up on a bunch of other places and people are going to say it for their own since -- since -- since the ice has been broken.

And the little liberal media websites will have conniptions and they'll go nuts and so forth. The same pattern will fall -- or follow as -- as it always does.