With apologies like these, we don't need defiance.
As advertisers pulled out of his radio program right and left, Rush Limbaugh was forced to take a humble tone, and---wait, what's this? No humble tone here; this guy is doubling down! Never thought I would type these words, but there's just no denying it: Rush Limbaugh is a genius.
Here is his statement, issued Saturday afternoon:
"For over 20 years, I have illustrated the absurd with absurdity, three hours a day, five days a week. In this instance, I chose the wrong words in my analogy of the situation. I did not mean a personal attack on Ms. Fluke. I think it is absolutely absurd that during these very serious political times, we are discussing personal sexual recreational activities before members of Congress. I personally do not agree that American citizens should pay for these social activities. What happened to personal responsibility and accountability? Where do we draw the line? If this is accepted as the norm, what will follow? Will we be debating if taxpayers should pay for new sneakers for all students that are interested in running to keep fit? In my monologue, I posited that it is not our business whatsoever to know what is going on in anyone's bedroom nor do I think it is a topic that should reach a Presidential level. My choice of words was not the best, and in the attempt to be humorous, I created a national stir. I sincerely apologize to Ms. Fluke for the insulting word choices."
"For over 20 years, I have illustrated the absurd with absurdity, three hours a day, five days a week. In this instance, I chose the wrong words in my analogy of the situation. I did not mean a personal attack on Ms. Fluke. I think it is absolutely absurd that during these very serious political times, we are discussing personal sexual recreational activities before members of Congress. I personally do not agree that American citizens should pay for these social activities. What happened to personal responsibility and accountability? Where do we draw the line? If this is accepted as the norm, what will follow? Will we be debating if taxpayers should pay for new sneakers for all students that are interested in running to keep fit? In my monologue, I posited that it is not our business whatsoever to know what is going on in anyone's bedroom nor do I think it is a topic that should reach a Presidential level. My choice of words was not the best, and in the attempt to be humorous, I created a national stir. I sincerely apologize to Ms. Fluke for the insulting word choices."
This guy...
Rush, "word choice" is not the problem here. ("He used a poor choice of words" was the weaselly phrase also clung to by Mitt and Rick when they were forced to weigh in Friday.) During his rants, Rush actually softened his word choice at one point, saying “OK, so she’s not a slut. She’s ‘round heeled." The problem isn't phrasing. It's that he said demeaning, slanderous things about Fluke because of her position on a political issue. He could have said, "This good lady assuredly removes her knickers and does unspeakable things with gentlemen callers on an all-too-frequent basis. Otherwise she would undoubtedly refrain from insisting on economic recompense for correlated expenditures." It would have the same meaning, and it's this defamation that he should be apologizing for.
This guy knows his stuff. By saying, "I did not mean a personal attack on Ms. Fluke," he only concedes that while people who expect insurance to cover contraception are irresponsible sexual libertines, he didn't mean Sandra Fluke was one of them.
My hat is off to Mr. Limbaugh. He simply turned his apology into an opportunity to restate his position. I popped the whole statement into Word - it's a total of 192 words. After I deleted the self-serving recap, 34 remained. And the redacted version is heartwarming:
"I chose the wrong words. I did not mean a personal attack on Ms. Fluke. My choice of words was not the best. I sincerely apologize to Ms. Fluke for the insulting word choices."
This guy knows his stuff. By saying, "I did not mean a personal attack on Ms. Fluke," he only concedes that while people who expect insurance to cover contraception are irresponsible sexual libertines, he didn't mean Sandra Fluke was one of them.
My hat is off to Mr. Limbaugh. He simply turned his apology into an opportunity to restate his position. I popped the whole statement into Word - it's a total of 192 words. After I deleted the self-serving recap, 34 remained. And the redacted version is heartwarming:
"I chose the wrong words. I did not mean a personal attack on Ms. Fluke. My choice of words was not the best. I sincerely apologize to Ms. Fluke for the insulting word choices."
