Rush Limbaugh's Little Joke Very Costly

Image from source, NYTimes.com

I've marveled several times on this site, how strange it is that the very same story can be seen in two very different ways by conservatives and liberals. When it comes to the Rush Limbaugh "phony soldiers" story, it didn't matter where the truth actually lay (in this case, the truth supported the left's interpretation), the right held firm, and does to this day.

Rush's contention that his "phony soldiers" comment only applied to a certain type of individual--and one in particular, Jesse Macbeth--is not supported by the evidence. As the original (full) transcript showed, Rush was calling anti-war soldiers who had been contacted by the mainstream media "phony soldiers." Jesse Macbeth was not in that category, to my knowledge, and Rush himself didn't bring him up until a couple of minutes later on his show.

Ah, but regardless of the truth, Limbaugh is running with his side of the story. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, in a tit-for-tat move to counter the condemnation of MoveOn.org, condemned Limbaugh's words in a letter to Clear Channel (Limbaugh's employer). Limbaugh in turn, saying that the Clear Channel president is a good friend, obtained the letter and put it on eBay. Proceeds were to go to charity (one that Limbaugh directs), and Limbaugh pledged to match the final bid himself.

The sale finished at $2.1 million, which--I'd imagine--is a lot higher than Limbaugh expected. Since he is the director of the charity, it might be a good idea to keep an eye on his half of the $4.2 million donation!

[Excerpt]

Critical Letter to Limbaugh Fetches $2 Million

After Rush Limbaugh referred to Iraq war veterans critical of the war as “phony soldiers,” he received a letter of complaint signed by 41 Democratic senators. He decided to auction the letter, which he described as “this glittering jewel of colossal ignorance,” for charity, and he pledged to match the price, dollar for dollar.

On Thursday night, Mr. Limbaugh, the conservative radio talk show host, said he thought the letter would bring in as much as $1 million. He was wrong. . .

Read the rest at: NYTimes.com