I just saw one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time, especially at the White House.
I hope Cookie was rolling on this so we can show you or share with you the audio soundbites.
This is the last day for the White House briefing room.
They're shutting it down to rebuild it, to modernize, and they're moving everybody across the street.
And all the old press secretaries, all the living press secretaries came up to say goodbye.
Bush came in to close down the meeting.
And this is the guy I know.
This is when I'm with him.
This is how he is, is the way he was today.
One of the things that happened in this little press conference is very informal.
Bush is talking about how crowded it is in the room and talking about, you know, the air conditioning in there.
Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
Sometimes it seems like we're outside.
By the way, some of your makeup is running.
And then says, well, we're going to redo the building.
You want the building to be the room.
You'll be twice as big as it is.
Press Corporate, yeah, forget it.
You're going to work as hard as we do.
And then from way in the back of the room, somebody shouts, Should Mel Gibson be forgiven?
And Bush said, Is that you?
Is that Gregory Standingback?
Who is that back there?
Should Mel Gibson be forgiven?
Is that Sam Donaldson back there?
Bush said, We don't answer questions from has-been.
You're a has-been.
I don't know if Donaldson was actually in the room, but this is funny.
I'm hoping Cookie was rolling.
Speaking of Mel Gibson, and by the way, welcome back to the EIB Network and the Rush Limbaugh program, 800-282-2882.
You have cuts 13 and 14.
No, I think they're numbered, rather, cuts four and five.
Let's start with cut 13 again.
This is last night, CNN Anderson Cooper 360.
He's in northern Israel along the Lebanon border talking with the New Yorkers Jeffrey Goldberg.
A lot of this coverage is just how anti-Semitic Hezbollah is in their rhetoric.
It's absolutely fascinating, Anderson.
The anti-Semitism, there's two things that are fascinating about it.
One is how embedded in the core of Hezbollah ideology anti-Semitism is.
Stop the tape, Amen.
Stop the type.
Stick with me on this one.
No, we just played this.
Stick with me.
Israel thinking or anti-Zionism.
I mean, frank anti-Semitism.
The other thing that's so interesting about it is how blunt they are and how frank they are about their anti-Semitism.
They don't hide it.
They don't try to mask it in any way.
They state very openly to you when you ask their exact feelings about Jews, which are quite extreme.
Okay.
Fine and dead.
It's absurd.
These guys shocked and stunned that Hezbollah, a terrorist, militant Islamo-fascist group, would be anti-Semitic and hates Jews.
They're stunned.
They're also stunned that Hezbollah would be so honest about it because if Hezbana wasn't so honest, if they just cut the rhetoric, then it'd be a little easier to support them.
But let's imagine they're not talking about Hezbollah.
Let's imagine that Anderson Cooper is talking here to Jeffrey Goldberg.
And Anderson says, I think what's been lost in a lot of this coverage is how anti-Semitic Hezbollah is in the rhetoric.
Imagine if Anderson Cooper said, you know what's amazing in all of this coverage that has been lost in all this coverage is that's how anti-Semitic Mel Gibson is.
Did you hear what he said, Jeffrey?
Why Mel Gibson asked the sheriff's deputy, are you a Jew?
Why the Jews are responsible for every war in the world?
And imagine Goldberg saying, you know, it's absolutely fascinating, Anderson, the anti-Semitism of Mel Gibson.
There's two things fascinating about it.
One is how embedded in the core of Mel Gibson it is.
And I don't mean anti-Israel.
I mean anti-Semitism.
The other thing that's interesting about it is how blunt Mel Gibson was and how frank Mel Gibson is about his anti-Semitism.
He doesn't hide it.
He didn't try to mask it in any way.
He stated very openly to anyone when you ask his exact feelings about Jews.
Can you imagine such a open, perplexed, unbelieving, interested-in-it-all conversation were this about what Mel Gibson had to say?
This is about Hasran Nasrallah, a terrorist leader.
There is more attempt to understand why he's doing what he's doing.
What is the rhetoric?
We're shocked.
We're stunned.
You compare this to the reaction Mel Gibson is getting in the drive-by media, and you can scratch your head.
Let's go to the next bite from the top.
Nasrallah himself is very point-blank and matter-of-fact and open about his hatred of Jews.
Stop the tape, stop tape, stop tape.
Again, imagine if Cooper had said, you know, Mel Gibson himself is, he's very point-blank and matter-of-fact about his hatred of Jews.
Things about Nasrallah that's so interesting is how straightforward he is.
And you see that in all of his statements on Israel.
All right, stop the tape.
There is not one call during these guys' conversation for Nasrallah to go to rehab.
Not one call for Nasrallah to go meet with Jewish leaders to try to promote healing.
There is not one request or demand that Nasrallah get together with the people that he hates and try to work it out.
Instead, these guys are fascinated by his anti-Semitism and why he's so open about it.
And how stunned at the rhetoric and so forth, but not one word of condemnation, just fascination.
Fascination with Noshair Nasrallah.
Sheikh Noshair Nasrallah, sorry, and his anti-Semitism.
And I think the contrast here is stunning.
They don't make one demand on this guy.
They're not outraged by it at all.
They're not suggesting that the rest of the terrorist community abandon him.
They're not suggesting that the rest of the terrorist community prevent him from working ever again.
They're not suggesting that the rest of the terrorist community in Iran and Al-Qaeda in Iraq and bin Laden, wherever he is, and that little basher Assad in Syria, they're not demanding that Nasrallah be thrown out of the club.
No, they almost shocked and stunned in disbelief that he even is anti-Semitic.
You know what?
If Nasrallah ought to go get the Passion of the Christ, start playing it for his troops, and let CNN and all his reporters hear about it, and they'll love him even more.
I illustrate this only to show you the total, you want to talk about lack of proportion, or you want to talk about a disproportionate response.
Here is a guy who is actively in the middle of launching rockets trying to kill Jews.
No outrage.
No anger.
Just confusion.
They are a little perplexed at his anti-Semitism.
And they're even more stunned by how open he is about it.
How more open can you be when you have been kidnapping and killing and attempting to kill Israelis and Jews for how many years now?
How much more open can you?
Where is the shock?
Where is the surprise?
Mel Gibson, an actor, happened to be partying a little too hearty, speeding, pulled over, spewed some epithets while you'd think the world is coming to an end.
Not defending what Gibson's, I'm just saying the lack of proportion.
You want to talk about the proportionality, the proportionality, the response, and so forth.
A guy that has made his life's work killing Jews is studied intellectually, academically, and interestingly.
Why is he this way?
And why is he so open about it?
In one sense, folks, this is just absurd and it's outrageous.
But that's who the drive-by media is.
A quick timeout.
We will be right back.
Stay with us.
You're going to stick with the audio soundbite roster here for just a couple minutes.
We'll get to your phone calls, El Quico.
Let's go to Cuba.
Well, let's talk about Cuba.
You know, the drive-by media is just obsessed now with what are we going to do?
Are we going to try to impose democracy there now?
They're asked, are we going to impose democracy?
Are we going to spend all this money imposing democracy there after what we've, a mess we've made of it in Iraq?
Are we going to impose democracy there?
What are we going to do?
You have a plan?
Have you reached out to Raul?
I was actually asked that question by the guy from AP, Al-AP, Terry Hunt.
Have you reached out to Raul?
And Tony Soson, no, we're not going to.
Raul has imposed himself on the Cuban people just like his brother Fidel did.
Next question.
There's no change down there.
We're not going to reach out.
Here is Andrea Mitchell, NBC News.
She's in Miami.
This is this morning on MSNBC Live.
A portion of her remarks while she waits for permission to enter Cuba.
Last night they issued a statement on Cuban television in his words saying that he was stable after surgery, that he was recovering, and that his spirits were good.
And also telling the Cuban people that the defense of the island was safe against the United States, that he's in some secret location at a very special clinic.
And, you know, Cuba's known for its medical care.
They actually export doctors throughout Latin America.
Oh, my God, folks.
It's getting to the point of being the sublime.
You know, their health care there is very good.
Yeah, it's very good and miserable for everybody, but everybody has it.
Very good.
In fact, they actually export doctors throughout Latin America.
If they don't, they get shot.
Okay, so, and the Cubans are safe from an invasion by the United States.
I just wanted you to know that.
Now, this story is sort of funny to me today, too.
It's in the Washington Post by Jim Van de Hay.
Now, how many of you have gotten the impression, if you live day to day in the media bubble, how many of you have gotten the impression that it's over?
The Democrats have won the House.
They're probably going to win the Senate.
And we may as well just plan on it.
Republicans, no chance.
Too much corruption, too much spending, no conservatism.
Democrats waiting to pounce, right?
Just a speaker-to-be Pelosi.
Well, the problem is that reality always intrudes.
And another warning shot for the Democrats from the Washington Post.
Top Democrats are increasingly concerned that they lack an effective plan to turn out voters this fall.
Whoa, hell spells.
I don't need to read anymore.
Isn't that sort of key to winning an election?
Did they forget about this?
Did they just assume that all of the hate and the rage and the anger and the irrationality of their bloggers and their Democrat National Committee Chairman, Mr. Dean, and the wonderfully charismatic appeal of Dingy Harry and Barbara Boxer was going to carry the day?
Well, that was going to get out the vote itself.
Top Democrats increasingly concerned they lack an effective plan to turn out voters this fall, creating tension among party leaders and prompting House Democrats to launch a fundraising effort aimed exclusively at mobilizing Democrat partisans.
Wait a minute.
How can they be any motivated than they already are, I thought?
Why, I thought Democrats were being restrained by fences in their own homes because they couldn't wait to get to the polls.
I thought it was taking human restraints to keep them from getting to the polls already.
I thought they hated Bush, and I thought they couldn't wait for Pelosi and Dean to start running a show that they couldn't wait to vote.
Now the Democrats are worried their voters aren't motivated and they haven't got a grassroots effort in place to get them out.
That's if these stories, I think it is.
I think it's a warning shot.
I think it's a, hey, it speaks for itself.
My point is don't fall for the conventional wisdom and don't fall for the media bubble each and every day.
And don't fall for the fact the country hates Bush and hates Republicans and can't wait to replace them.
Here's Stephen in El Reno, Oklahoma.
Ditto's, Rush.
Thank you, sir.
I was listening to the news this morning, and it looks like the president of Iraq that the Iraqi military will be able to take over the security of the country within five months.
Rush, how realistic do you think this is?
Well, you know, I didn't see the report, but I actually saw breaking news from ABCNews.com where Maliki said, yep, Iraqi security forces take over at the end of the year, five months, and that'll be it.
Yeah.
I can't.
I don't know what this is about.
It doesn't mean we're going to be leaving.
Right.
That's all.
I mean, we got a scheduled drawdown anyway.
I mean, this is all part of the original plan.
I actually think this is being heralded as big-time news when it's actually been part of the original plan is to start drawing down and turning over security.
Bush has always said when they're ready to do it, they're going to get it.
I don't want to try to interpret it any more than that because I haven't seen any details and I haven't seen what the Iraqi prime minister or president said.
And until I do, and if I find something in the tale about it later this afternoon, then I'll, of course, opun tomorrow.
Let's see.
Darla, is that right?
Darla in Deming, Washington.
Hi, Darla.
Nice to have you with us.
Thanks, Rush Dittos.
Thank you.
Bear with me.
I'm pretty hot.
I hear on the news this morning that they're going to go ahead with these servicemen out in San Diego with these murder charges.
Can you please explain to me why it is that the United States government is acknowledging these dead, poor dead children and the pictures of them that are being paraded around as just another sick and twisted example of how far the terrorists will go to hide behind women and children and not feel bad about it and do this over and over again?
And yet our eight servicemen from the United States of America are in a prison in In San Diego, awaiting charges for murder when Iraq, in Iraq, in Hadifa, the terrorists hid behind women and children, and they too were a sad, sad casualty of war.
But apparently that wasn't sick and twisted by the terrorists.
Well, I'm mad.
Yeah, the only thing I know about it is, and this has been leaked too, but it's been supposedly a Pentagon person in the know who says the investigation of what happened at Haditha is complete and that the 24 Marines there are going to be charged with murder.
Why?
Now, one of those 24 Marines.
Well, because they said they finished the investigation.
We are not Hezbollah, and we don't do these kinds of things, and we hold ourselves to different standards.
And again, this is, you know, it's a leak right now.
I don't know how true, how many elements of truth there are in it.
I do know that one of these Marines has announced he's going to sue John Murtha for defamation.
Hallelujah.
I say hallelujah to that.
So do I.
However, these terrorists are showing over and over again that they will use women and children.
Everyone is acknowledging.
I want to know, is the defense going to be able to use all of these same pictures from Hezbollah in the defense of media?
No, I don't think.
Well, it didn't happen there, and the circumstances may be entirely different.
That's why I say it's still premature.
This is just a leak in the drive-by media.
It does get sourced back to the Pentagon.
But we don't, until we know the details, all we can do is speculate on what the leak is.
The leak is that there has been an investigation completed, and the investigation has found that the Marines involved did commit murder, that they didn't shoot people who were hiding behind terrorists, so forth and so on.
We'd have to assume, if this leak is accurate, that the people killed were not terrorists.
They were not dressed up as women and young men, and they certainly weren't dressed up as kids.
But the idea that we're going to use what happened in Khanna as a, I don't mean, I don't know what the defense team for the Marines will do if this is actually true, if this comes to pass.
I think what's irritating you is, and obviously I have to make a guess here.
What's irritating you is that here we are in a we're watching, we're spectators to a war in Lebanon between the Hezbo's and the Israelis, and we are seeing just exactly how this enemy that we face in Iraq, they're all the same bunch of people, behave.
We see the kind of bloodthirsty, heartless kill their own people, kill their own kids, and consider it a victory people they are.
And yet, in the midst of all this in Iraq, we're going to string up some Marines, even though we learn exactly how these people fight.
How can we possibly win, you are asking yourself, if we're going to put our own soldiers in jail for fighting a war against these kinds of people?
I understand that's how you feel.
But if it turns out that these were, in fact, innocent civilians and these guys just cracked because of what they saw happen to their buddy, they've got a defense team.
They've got lawyers and they'll deal with it as such.
I'm sure just being charged is what infuriates you, and I'm sure it infuriates millions.
Ladies and gentlemen, I want to give you another example of why I am a leading broadcast host in America today.
I have here an innocuous, a meaningless story, a story that 99% Of hosts doing show prep would look at, say, eh, don't have time for that today.
Throw it aside.
But I, highly trained, astute, observant, and curious, learned, and educated, can read the stitches on a fastball.
Let me give you the headline.
And you tell me if you think it's even suitable for this show.
Topless sunbathing G-strings have been banned on a beach in Paris.
Come on, Rush, stick to the issues.
I know what you're saying.
What?
What are you saying to me?
Go for it.
I'm going to detail this, but see, thirdly, you're just having a sex interest attack, and that's not where I'm going with this.
Well, that's my why I am, if you let me see, I know where my syllables are going.
Nobody else does at this point.
That's why I am me.
If I were predictable, who would have to listen to this program?
You know what I was going to say before I said it, and thus why listen?
So, Parisian sunbathers will no longer be allowed to go nude or wear G-strings on the capital's artificial beaches, and they'll risk a fine if they're caught bearing their breasts or buttocks.
City Hall has issued a decree banning indecent clothing to preserve the tranquility of the sandy beaches created on the banks of the River Seine every summer since 2001.
Now, I can imagine, Rush, stick to the issue.
What is this guy?
Did I get to hear this?
I need where I go.
Don't you wonder why this is happening now all of a sudden, folks?
Topless sunbathing and G-strings banned in Paris.
By the way, if I may make a brief departure before giving the answer to this, if we are indeed in World War III, I'll tell you when it'll end, and that's when France surrenders.
Actually, that's when it'll begin.
World War III begins when France surrenders.
And not until then.
It's going to be pretty soon.
I think this is incredibly telling that they're banning topless sunbathing and G-strings in Paris, in France.
This cannot be about morality.
The French don't care about morality.
Not in this way.
The French have never cared about it.
I was there last summer, and I stayed at the Hotel Eden Rock du Camp, and after eating lunch, walked around outside the pool.
Everybody was topless.
It's the hardest thing in the world not to stare.
Well, I say everybody, but 80% of the women were topless.
They don't care about this, so what's really going on?
Tell you what I think.
Pressure from their new immigrants.
The Islamo-fascists, the Muslims that have immigrated to that country.
I think the influence these people have over France must be greater than anything anybody realizes.
You know they wouldn't put up with it.
You know, they don't tolerate it.
This is not something in their moral code that they're going to understand, and you get a country like France, which is afraid of its own shadow and afraid of anybody being mad at it other than George W. Bush.
Just hold it out as a possibility because it makes no sense otherwise.
I just think it's more evidence of France losing control over its country.
I'm not saying toplessness is good.
Don't misunderstand.
But France is France.
Toplessness has been normal as water flowing from a faucet.
All of a sudden, I can't do it in Paris, La Capital.
Folks, more to this than meets the eyes.
Todd in Los Angeles, you're next on the EIB network.
Hello.
Dittos, Rush.
Thank you.
My comment is in reference to the lady reporter perplexed about not being allowed to have embedded reporters with Hezbollah.
Yeah.
Simply put, Rush, she just doesn't realize she's the enemy.
Really?
Explain that.
Well, I mean, she is the enemy.
We're the enemy.
And yet she expects, like Hitler, to allow embedded reporters to have gone around in World War II.
I mean, it's ridiculous.
Well, we're the enemy.
How?
Why would Hezbollah let oh, oh, oh, I think I get it now.
Hezbollah would look at us really not just as a propaganda arm, the media, but as an enemy.
If they allow the enemy to know their troop movements, how wise would that be?
Yes.
Oh, that's what you mean.
Yes.
And so basically, when you say this reporter did not understand that she's the enemy, what you mean is she's not bright enough to figure out that Hezbollah would kill her, too.
Correct.
Yeah.
Okay.
Excellent point.
Excellent point.
Well, they're like John Dingell.
They can't take sides.
Media, drive-by media can't take sides.
It's an excellent, excellent point.
If you were not with us when I played the soundbite, the cable network anchor was asking a reporter over there, you know, we keep hearing about all these things the Hezbollahs are doing.
We haven't seen any video.
The Americans let us go with them when they go into Iraq and we can see we have embedded reporters.
Is there any chance that the Hezbollah will allow us to go with them or see video?
And this reporter can't.
They've been shrouded in secrecy, he said, dear.
He said, they fight wars the way they used to be fought.
You don't let the enemy know what you're going to do in advance.
Or even recently, what you have done until you're out of there.
Jerry in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Welcome to the EIB Network.
Hi.
82 airborne noodles to you, Professor Limbaugh.
Thank you, sir.
I wanted to make a point.
Three of my four combat tours have been over in that part of the world.
And the thing that I haven't heard people talking about that seems ridiculous and why we need to deal with Iran now.
Iran, while the Arabs hate the Jews and the infidels, the Persians and Iran hate all three of us.
And they're going to continue, they hate the Arabs just as much.
And they're going to continue to use the Arabs to keep us distracted from going in there to try to create problems everywhere else they can.
They don't care if the Arabs get killed and the Jews kill each other and kill us in the mix.
They don't care about any of that because they want to reestablish the Persian Empire.
And as long as they can keep us off fighting, the more of their enemies in the Arab world that die off, the stronger that makes them anyway.
And I believe that that's what they're instigating.
And I could be wrong.
And so that's why I wanted to pose it to you, the professor, who would have more insight than me.
Well, I think you are right as far as it goes.
There's no question.
People do not understand this.
What you said, the Persians hate the Arabs and hate us.
People think the Iranians are Arabs too, and that they're all aligned.
That's why the Arab League and Arab governments have not condemned Israel.
That's why they have actually condemned the Hezbollah.
And I think they're very much aware that the Mullahs in Iran and their figurehead almost becoming a caricature now, Mahmoud Ahmadinezad, have designs on running and controlling that region.
And I think they're very, very much concerned about that.
But I also think, and so it would make sense that Mahmoud would do everything he can to get his Arab enemies involved in all this and against the United States, little miniature war of attrition.
But what he really needs is America out of there.
Before he can do that, he needs America out of Iraq, and he needs America out of, well, they're not in Israel.
We're not in Israel, but he needs us out of there.
He needs troops out of there.
He needs all kinds of disinterest from the United States in order to succeed.
He knows this, and so do the Mullahs.
So I think what Ahmadinezad and the Mullahs are doing is buying time until a Democrat, they hope, is elected in 2008, because I'm convinced that Mahmoud and the Iranian mullahs, and I think they're convinced because they're listening to Democrats on the American drive-by media.
They are convinced that if a Democrat wins the White House, particularly in this anti-war climate that the Democrats have created here, if it is John Kerry, if it is Hillary, if it is Gore, whatever.
I think the Mullahs and Mahmoud think the Americans will pull out of there, get out of Iraq, and that frees Iran to go in there and do whatever they want to do.
And I think that the Americans will retreat to negotiation and diplomacy and condemning military attacks.
So Iran thinks it can march all over the region and take this ground here, take that ground there, and a Democrat president will join with whoever's running the UN to condemn it, but not do anything about it.
So I think he's biding his time.
I don't think he wants to provoke our involvement.
He wants to encourage us to get out of there.
He wants to do what he can to get us out of the way.
But the thing with Hezbollah and Israel, I think, is a problem for him.
I think it's, in a sense, it's a problem.
You know, another possibility, you tell me, you're the Fort Bragg guy.
You're the 82nd airborne guy.
What do you think of the possibility that what Iran is doing is test marketing weapons and tactics using the Hezbollah, the guerrillas to do it against the Israelis?
I think very, very much that's possible.
They want to find out your action.
They also are test marketing the stomach of the American people.
How likely are we if Israel does get into it with Syria and Iran, how likely are we to stand behind, get involved in it?
Are we sick of combat and sick of getting it?
Their weapons are nothing.
We could go to Iran and wipe them out.
We have no problem because there's so many pro-Western people in Iran that are waiting to be liberated.
So I don't think that's a problem.
And he may be testing out weapons, but he realizes that it's not going to work because their rocket launchers will get destroyed before the missile even hits the ground if we're involved.
Our Patriot system, their different systems, will knock out those missiles before they ever even hit the ground.
And we'll send the condolence letter to their parents when we blow them away before that missile even touches down.
Yeah, well, mate, you say that.
You say that.
But do you see any evidence that's what we do?
We haven't been doing that in a while.
We've been fighting minimalist wars.
We're fighting Iraq in a minimalist fashion.
The power you describe, you and I both know we have it in spades.
But we haven't shown it.
We haven't projected it.
And who knows why?
I mean, we all got our theories about it.
I have to take a run here, Jerry, but I'm glad you called.
Thank you so much.
We got the Bush press briefing soundbox I told you about here at the top of the hour.
We'll hand those for you right after this timeout.
By the way, have you guys seen any pictures of Hillary Clinton lately?
Is that body language?
Yeah, slouching.
I've never seen Hillary Clinton look so even during the Monica situation.
She looks strong and vital.
Hillary just looks defeated and worn out to me.
I think it's over for her.
That's my impersonation of Howard Feynman, who just last week pronounced George Bush over with and finished and defeated because of the body language he saw.
Well, I hope you get to see the video from which the audio I'm going to play for you comes.
As I would like to ask Howard Feynman about the body language he saw the president exhibit today in the White House press room in the final briefing in that building.
They're going to close it down and renovate it.
We have three sound bites.
Here is the president.
And this is, you know, I've told you, I see this guy on TV sometimes.
He's just not the guy I know.
This, when I've been around him, this is the guy I know.
So this is like the end of an old era.
And let me just say, we felt your pain.
And so we decided, you know, to help you renovate and come up with a new Brady Center.
And so I want to thank the former Spinmeisters for joining me up here.
Tell my people how to do it.
Will you?
I mean, it's.
But anyway, Lauren, I wanted to come by and wish you all the best as you get to move headquarters for a while.
Look forward to welcoming you back here in, I guess, six or seven months.
Is that right?
Nine months?
Yeah.
That's what you get when you bring your crackpot up from Texas.
Somebody said, no timetable, Mr. President.
It's what you get when you bring a crackpot up from Texas.
Another portion of his remarks begins by discussing the new renovations.
So like suede chairs?
Huh?
Is that what you're looking at?
Kind of velvet.
Armchairs.
Armchairs.
Everybody wants to be able to lean back.
It looks a little crowded in here.
And so you want to double the size?
Forget it.
You get to work like the rest of us.
We may have some air conditioning if we decide to.
Anyway, good luck in the new building.
Looking forward to seeing you over there.
Does the air conditioner work better there than here?
Last time I had a press conference in here, it felt like it was outside.
As a matter of fact, some of your makeup was running.
And they don't see this side of him.
Bill Plant says, shouts from the back of the room, Mr. President, should Mel Gibson be forgiven?
Is that you and Gregory standing back there?
Is that Sam Donaldson?
Forget it.
You're a has-bin.
We don't have to answer has-bins' questions.
Do you want to say anything about the Vaitas Prescoff?
It's a beautiful bunch of people.
How about your best moment in here, sir?
My best moment in here is when my press conference ended.
I can't hear you.
I'm over 60, just like you.
He was over 60 as well.
For those of you going to Crawford, saddle up.
Now, let me tell you about that.
They hate it.
They hate going to Crawford because it's not a media center.
It's way out in the middle of nowhere.
When you see these guys standing by the pitchfork in the barn to do their reports from Crawford, they're actually six miles from Bush's ranch or two miles or whatever.
They hate it there.
They literally despise it.
Why couldn't he vacation in Martha's Vineyard or someplace like that where Clinton used to go?
They literally despise it and he knows it.
So those of you going to Crawford, saddle up.
Steve in Richmond, Virginia.
Welcome, sir.
Nice to have you with us.
Rush, it's an absolute honor.
Thank you, sir.
Been listening to you since 1988, and I just want to make a quick point about Haditha.
Yes.
Part of the investigative process, they were not allowed to look at the 24 bodies.
They were not allowed to exhume them.
So it's kind of hard to prove that we shot them if you can't digest it.
Well, I know.
And I'm not sure that official charges have even been filed.
All I saw today was, you know, the drive-by media is going nuts with some leak from the Pentagon that they're going to be charged.
It's imminent.
I have not seen that they have been.
That's correct.
And the thing that really I have fear about is people like Mertha now will stand up and say, see, I told you so.
Well, let Mirtha stand up and say, see, I told you so.
Mirtha's credibility is lagging.
Anyway, you have heard that one of the Haditha Marines is suing him for defamation.
And I love that.
Absolutely.
Everybody, it's about time.
It is about time.
I'm a retired military officer, and I can't tell you how much we despise people like Mirtha.
I don't blame you, and I understand it totally.
Steve, thanks very much for the phone call.
I appreciate it.
A couple more news items here before we get into the break.
Try this headline.
If the Republicans need anything to get the vote out, this headline will do it.
Representative Wrangell to retire if Democrats falter.
If the Democrats do not win the House, Wrangell will quit.
He will step down.
I'm a poker player, and I've had good hands all night long.
This is all in.
I would not put everything on the table.
If I thought for one minute, we would lose.
He's 76 years old.
Toyota and Honda report huge sales jumps in July.
However, Toyota has overtaken Ford in monthly U.S. vehicle sales.
This is being chalked up to Toyota having more economic cars in terms of mileage than Ford has with its trucks and SUVs.
All right, a quick timeout.
We'll be back and wrap it up and close it up.
Close it out.
End it.
Say Sayonara, Sukiaki, right after this.
All right, loads of fun today, folks, and we'll be doing it again tomorrow.