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March 17, 2011 - Rush Limbaugh Program
33:19
March 17, 2011, Thursday, Hour #3
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Time Text
Now that made me forget what I was going to say here.
Oh well, it'll come back to me.
Hi and welcome back folks.
Rush Limbaugh.
This is the Excellence in Broadcasting Network, the Limbaugh Institute for Advanced Conservative Studies.
As usual, half my brain tied behind my back, just to make it fair.
The telephone number, you want to be on the program, is 800-282-2882.
The email address LRushbo at EIBnet.com.
Let me expand on this just a little bit, something I mentioned at the close of the previous hour.
This situation in Libya.
Who are the rebels?
We naturally, we see Gaddafi, we see bad guy.
See, rebels, we see good guys.
Anybody who wants to get rid of Gaddafi is going to be a good guy.
Well, in the context here of U.S. foreign policy, the Mideast on fire, what is it going to become?
We do have a vested interest in this.
So, in Libya, pardon the sniffles.
Oh, I know what I was going to say.
I'm getting, I'm going to get something out of the way here.
People have been sending me emails, what is the, occasionally people see me playing with my e-cig, my electronic cigarette.
What kind do you use?
And I, I, too.
Probably the one I use the most is the website is iSmokethis.com.
And then there is the one Hawaii, Volcano.
Joe Volcano and the boys over in Hawaii.
So if you just Google Volcano, you'll find their website or I Smoke This.
And if you go to the I Smoke This site, they've got two different kinds, the Duo and the Trio.
The Duo, a little more expensive, but they're far easier and just less of a hassle.
So that's it.
I can ask this question now and then this situation in Libya, excuse me, wrong button, is very interesting because the opposition, the rebels, is probably, this is not known for certain, largely influenced by al-Qaeda, you know, the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.
The automatic assumption was that this was a democracy movement, an uprising for freedom.
So they had clapper from this administration saying, well, the Muslim Brotherhood, they're secular.
They're really, they're not a problem.
Good guys, essentially, which is A, wrong.
B, it's dangerous to have somebody in our administration who thinks that, much less says it.
But it still isn't known.
And we might have the most fervent hopes and desires that a democracy movement is rising.
But the odds of this in the Middle East, without our involvement, I don't know.
I don't trust it.
We had a democracy movement in Iraq.
We took it to Iraq.
We delivered it.
Libya sent fighters to help the insurgents in Iraq, the people that we were employing the surge against.
Libya was sending fighter jets to support.
So, to assume that simply because we oversaw, one might say implemented, democracy movement in Iraq is going to automatically arise elsewhere is a wonderful hope, but you can't count on it, particularly without any kind of involvement.
But yet, so many people in this country, Mubarak got to go.
Mubarak, everything was measured, was more of an ally than he wasn't to us.
He didn't treat his people well.
But there again comes this balance.
Foreign policy in this region.
You don't want a caliphate over there.
And there are arguments.
Some people think that a caliphate is in the process of being put together.
And others say that's silly.
They're not going to be a caliphate.
Can you take the chance?
You can't just sit back and take the chance that a caliphate will ever happen.
Sharia caliphate I'm talking about.
You just can't sit around and take the chance that that's not what's happening.
So, the rebels in Libya.
They are largely influenced by al-Qaeda.
But up the road in Bahrain, they've got rebels there too.
They've got rebels in Saudi Arabia.
Now, that's unique too.
Royal family in Saudi Arabia is the closest thing to a steel trap that there is in the world today outside of the Chikoms and North Koreans.
For there to be uprisings there, quite telling.
The rebels in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are Shiites.
The Shiites obviously are largely influenced by Iran.
So look at the competing forces here: Al-Qaeda, probably in Libya.
Iran, everywhere, but particularly now in Libya.
These are tough calls.
Who do you support?
Conventional wisdom, public support, Qaddafi.
Got to go.
Pan Am the downing of the Pan Am jetliner, Libya and Qaddafi responsible for it.
Well, we did have him contained, but remember, he even, George W. Bush and the move into Iraq, Libya disarmed.
Qaddafi got scared to death.
We had Libya contained until this regime assumes power.
Now, you can say whatever you want to put Qaddafi, but we can quote him.
He thinks Obama's one of them.
I don't care whether it is or not, and I'm not saying it.
It doesn't matter what I think in this regard.
Qaddafi is saying he thinks Obama's one of them.
So he's acting like it, too.
Thank me.
He's acting like it.
And so far, what is he to think?
Got a lot of huffing and puffing.
They sent Mrs. Clinton over there.
Big whoop.
So this is, you know, what are we going to do?
Tough calls.
It's why you need people with real good judgment and a lot of experience.
The United States, foreign policy-wise, in the past, always looked to for many reasons.
Our power, obviously, our money.
But we were also viewed as honest brokers.
On balance, people around the world thought they were going to get a fair shake.
Look at our foreign aid budget.
We give foreign aid to scoundrels.
I would change that as we've been through many, many times.
Bottom line is, I don't think Obama thinks the U.S. has been honest brokers.
I think in every realm, the way we think of our country, having moral standing in the world, force for good against evil, solution to the world's problems.
I don't think that this regime, certainly not Obama, I don't believe he believes it.
You got Reverend Wright.
I'm sure Reverend Wright and Farrakhan have probably told Gaddafi things that make Qaddafi think he's safe behaving this way.
Gaddafi's been given awards by Farrakhan.
You can say, Farrakhan's a nut.
So's Qaddafi.
But they're associates.
And Jeremiah Wright doesn't see a problem with Gaddafi.
Obama went to the guy's church for 20 years.
Never heard anything he said, so we don't have to worry about it.
Well, that's the story.
So if we have a president who doesn't think that we are honest brokers and that we never have been, we get the region on fire.
That's why a lot of people are concerned, equally about that, as well as what's going on in Japan.
So when the president dashes off to Rio, when the president says, I got to do my Sweet 16 picks, I'll tell you something else about that.
If you took a look at his picks, I don't do this, but I have a lot of sports friends.
I got people who love the NCAAs.
They just love them.
And I got some emails from some of them.
It's this guy's the biggest wimp on the face.
He picked every number one seed in the final four.
People serious about this don't do that.
That's gutless.
Anybody can pick the number one seeds.
So he's even among those who get into this.
He's not getting a whole lot of love and respect from those people with whom he's trying to build a bridge.
Well, let's go to the audio sound bite.
It is not just me, ladies and gentlemen.
No, I know.
Hillary and Obama say Qaddafi has to go.
Well, once upon a time, the Clintons said Saddam has to go too, but he never went anywhere.
And the only effort we made to get rid of Saddam was bombing a building on Saturday night, which injured a janitor in Baghdad.
But once they took care of the Monica situation, then Saddam didn't matter anymore.
If people over there have long memories in Egypt, we've replaced one dictator with another.
Mubarak's gone in exchange now for the Egyptian military.
And that's if we're lucky, if they hold on.
But here, this is a montage of media types from last night in this morning, and they're starting to use the F-word about Obama.
What does this say about Barack Obama and his political leadership?
And will this become a metaphor for his failure to lead?
If you want to talk about problems on leadership, let's talk about his failure.
Is it looking like a failure of leadership?
Whoa, that's F. Chuck Todd at the end, Juan Williams at the beginning, and client number nine, let off, Elliot Spitzer.
All three guys, we're talking about failure.
Can we go back to January 16th, 2009, this program?
I don't need 400 words.
I need four.
I hope he fails.
What are you laughing at?
See, here's the point.
Everybody thinks it's outrageous to say.
Look at even my staff.
Oh, you can't do that.
Why not?
Why is it any different?
What's new, what is unfair about my saying I hope liberalism fails?
Liberalism is our problem.
Liberalism is what's gotten us dangerously close to the precipice here.
Why do I want more of it?
I don't care what the drive-by story is.
I would be honored if the drive-by media headlined me all day long.
Limbaugh Colon, I hope Obama fails.
Somebody's got to say it.
I said it.
Now, while these other guys are asking it, but this is not how I meant failure.
This is not the kind of failure I had in mind.
So it goes on.
David Rodham Gergen probably also really admired the crease in Obama's pants at one point.
Last night, CNN the Arena, that's the new name of client number nine's show since he got rid of the skirt Kathleen Parker.
So now he owns the show with his own cadre of rotating guests.
So he said, Spitzer says to Gergen, we've heard President Obama say repeatedly, Gaddafi has to go.
Qaddafi has no legitimacy, yet Qaddafi's still there.
And we're doing nothing to help the opposition.
Can you explain this?
Difficult.
You almost invite the rebels to keep fighting because they think you're going to be there at their side.
And here, then when you let them be crushed and they're about to be crushed, like it's too late for a no-fly zone, then it's a humiliation for the president and it's an embarrassment in many ways.
See, this is the thing.
Why is it an embarrassment for the U.S. president when something in Libya happens?
The fact is, it is.
It is.
It's just because of our power.
Now, again, the rebels in this case, they're al-Qaeda.
So David Rodham Gergen here is, yeah, we, you know, we're going to let Al-Qaeda get cashed, crushed.
So this is Huffy.
You help Obama, you help Gaddafi, you support, it's not guaranteed, but the best guesses are that these rebels are backed by Al Qaeda.
So Elliot Spitzer said, well, look, what's the hesitancy?
What's creating this lack of decision?
The Arab League said, do a no-fly zone.
I mean, Obama's been asked by the Arabs.
He's been invited in by the Arabs.
Why doesn't he do anything?
There's been no American leadership on this.
To have the headline in the Washington Post, on Libya, Obama wants others to lead.
To you and me, as traditionalists, that's for what?
It's hard to understand.
The Wall Street Journal and its editorial made a really important point the other day.
This is what the world is going to start looking like without American leadership.
Bingo.
Bingo.
And don't think Obama doesn't know it.
Don't think he's not aware of it.
Let's take a break only because we must, not because I want to.
We'll be back right after this.
Don't go away.
This is unbelievable.
This is unbelievable.
Barack Obama made an unannounced visit to the embassy of Japan, the Japanese embassy in Washington, and signed the condolence book for lives lost in the earthquake and the tsunami.
He took up an entire page of the condolence, but that's what he thinks is leadership.
And right off, they got video of it.
Fox is showing video.
There's Obama writing a whole page in a condolence book.
See, he cares.
What a great guy.
Man, are we lucky to have such leadership?
He went over and wrote in the condolence book at the Japanese embassy.
Take credit for what?
Oh, come on.
He's just not doing this because of me.
No way is he doing this because of me.
He's not doing this because of any criticism.
This is what he, well, if he is, it's even worse.
But this is just what he thinks of his leadership.
By the way, we'll get to it here.
I've got to get a phone call.
First accurate story from the New York Times about the Japanese nuclear situation that I've seen.
First accurate story.
Stand by for it.
Here is Peter in Paradise, California.
Welcome to the EIB Network.
Hello, sir.
Hello, Rush.
Hi.
I kind of wonder why you called Jimmy Carter a wimp.
I may have in the past.
Today I didn't.
I'm quoting from a column written by Michael LeDean, which is headlined, What Would a Desperate Wimp Do.
And the point of his column is that Jimmy Carter, in the last two years of his term with the hostage crisis, became a total wimp trying to become courageous to save his presidency.
And it was a dangerous thing when a wimp tries to become courageous.
He's worried, what will Obama do?
But it was Michael Ledean using the word.
Well, I thought it was you, sir.
Well, I did repeat it.
Yeah, yeah.
You called Jimmy Carter a wimp.
Well, yeah, you did.
All right.
I did not, but if it.
Yes, you did.
Why don't you just admit it?
Because I'm not sure that I did.
I may well have, but I don't remember.
I'm not sure.
I know that I was quoting and reading from Ladine's piece when I talked about it when the word came up.
Mr. Limbo, you did.
Why don't you just admit it?
What is the point?
The point is you called him a wimp.
So?
Okay, you admit it.
Even if I were to admit it, so what?
So what?
I don't understand.
So what I'm not conceding that I did.
You're not having to concede.
I'd have to go check the tape.
You are not answering my question.
That's because I don't know for certain, and I'm not going to sit here and lie to you.
Do you know for certain?
No, because I was reading from Michael Ledean's piece.
What did you hear me say?
What's the quote?
What did I say?
You called Jimmy Carter a wimp.
Snerdley, this is one of the worst actors that you have found.
I'm not an actor.
Oh, yeah.
You think I'm an actor?
Well, I know that my company's out hiring actors to call radio shows.
They deny they're having them call here, but you're making me wonder.
Mr. Limbo, you called Jimmy Carter a wimp.
Why don't you just admit it?
Okay, you know what?
For the sake of this, to see where this goes.
Yeah.
Okay, deal.
Call him a wimp.
So what?
Okay, you just admit.
Okay, you just did.
You know, Jimmy Carter served honorably in the military.
Yeah.
He was the governor of Georgia.
Right.
And he was the president.
Yes, sir.
Okay.
Did you serve in the military?
Yeah.
When?
What did you say?
Have I been in the military?
No, you haven't.
No, I haven't.
That's what you asked me?
Yeah.
No, I've not been in the military.
No, you haven't.
No.
Yeah, you ran from it.
No, I did not run from it.
Yes, you did.
What is the point?
Okay, I'll admit.
Okay, the point is what so offends you about Jimmy Carter being a wimp?
He's not a wimp.
Oh, that's what offends you.
He's not a wimp?
Well, you're the one who called him one.
Well, I've got the transcript in front of me now, and I didn't.
Oh, no.
I was reading from Ladine's piece, and you may not have.
See, this is irrelevant to me, but you are claiming I said something I didn't say.
I was reading from Michael Ledean's piece when he's calling him a wimp.
You're evading the whole thing.
It doesn't matter.
It doesn't matter.
I'm not evading anything.
Yes, you do.
I'm trying to be accurate.
I'm telling you, if I call him a wimp, I'll stand by it.
just don't know one thing i do know is called him a wimp three times during this conversation What are you talking about?
Oh, man.
You know what?
You are a shining example of liberal reasoning and debate, i.e. the absence of both.
A man, a legend, a way of life.
That last guy, that's a great illustration of kind of liberal firepower we saw on display in Wisconsin.
And by his definitions, he called Carter a wimp far more than I ever did.
Anyway, great to have you back.
Here's this New York Times story that is the only accurate story I have seen in that publication of what's going on.
The problem, I'm just going to summarize the story for you.
The problem is not the active nuclear reactors.
There is not an active nuclear reactor meltdown going on.
The problem is the unused spent fuel rods that the Japanese had on site in storage ponds.
It's those ponds that are evaporating that have caught fire, if you will.
The water may have dried up in these storage ponds.
The point is that these are not the active rods of the reactor.
Most sites don't have any spent rods sitting around.
The Japanese still did.
They hadn't moved them out.
The active reactors are not the problem.
And I can't believe this is day four of this.
And this is the first accurate story I have seen to explain what's going on in Japan in the New York Times.
See, it's not the active reactors.
It's the unused spent fuel rods sitting around in the storage ponds.
The Japanese had them on site.
Did not have them moved out.
Audio soundbites number 10 and 11, Juan Williams last night on Hannity.
They were talking about Obama playing golf and filling out the basketball brackets during all these crises.
Hannity said 61 rounds of golf.
Libya can't decide whether they're going to make a no-fly zone.
Plenty of time to pick his brackets.
Very knowledgeable about basketball.
Come on, Juan.
This is beyond the pale.
We've got, I think it's eight naval ships out there, the Marines out there.
He's coordinating humanitarian aid.
You don't want him out there on the dock consigning this box to go here, that box to go there.
What do you want to do?
Put on a cape and go push back the tsunami?
Well, well, put on a cape and go push back the tsunami.
Well, this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless.
This was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal.
This was the moment when we ended the war and secured our nation and restored our image as the last best hope on earth.
This was the moment.
This was the time when we came together to remake this great nation so that it may always reflect our very best selves and our highest ideals.
That's Barack Obama in 2008, June the 3rd.
He was in Minnesota after the last Democrat primary was over.
This was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal.
But Gaia must not have heard the speech.
Because the earth, sure as hell, opened up.
And if you talk to people in Japan, the sea level sure as hell didn't lower.
So yeah, Juan, where is that cape?
He was wearing it in Minnesota.
Somebody played us for Wan Williams.
He was in Minnesota, and he put on the Cape One, and he promised he was going to effectively end tsunamis and all that sort of stuff.
Here's Carrie in North Windsor, West Windsor, West Windsor, New Jersey.
Great to have you on the program.
Welcome.
Hey, Rush, how are you?
Very good.
Thank you.
Thank you very much, first of all, for being my lunch buddy for over 25 years.
I really appreciate it.
Thank you.
I wanted to comment on the poll they took, and it's just my personal theory that I'm sure people picked Charlie Sheen over Sarah Palin.
My feeling has been that I've watched men over the years, and then certainly not my age bracket, but younger.
And I honestly feel that they look at Sarah Palin as somebody who's going to demand more of them.
I mean, she's not standing up there and giving anything away.
Wait just a second.
I've got to go back.
So you said that you have watched men over the years.
Yes.
And you think that Palin scares men because she's going to demand more of them?
Well, listen, she's strong, right?
She's independent.
She married a strong guy.
She has a family with him.
They work together.
She's going out there and giving conservative values that are you have to do it yourself.
She's not handing anybody out.
So you think that intimidates men?
Oh, absolutely.
And that's why Charlie Sheen would be preferable to anyone.
Without a doubt.
Look at that.
Now, if you're just joining us, public policy polling, a liberal polling firm in North Carolina actually asked independents who they would prefer for president, and it was Charlie Sheen over Sarah Palin by a significant margin.
And that's what Carrie here is calling and talk about.
So you think the independents, the male independents out there, are frightened by Palin because she's going to demand that they be men.
Essentially, they work.
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
And let me tell you something.
I also think there's a ton of women out there because look at Charlie Sheen once he got his third wife.
A ton of women out there who support these kind of guys, who think this is okay.
And I'm not talking about sexist roles or anything.
I'm talking about when you're in a relationship and you're working as a family unit or, you know, you're working toward a common goal, you know, you're not really thinking man-woman.
And I don't think Sarah Palin is thinking man-woman.
But I think when she's viewed, she's viewed as that, you know, mom who's always telling you.
And I got to tell you something, I love her.
I've been married 25 years.
My husband loves her.
I raised two boys.
My boys love her.
I think she's awesome.
I think she speaks to who Americans are.
Okay.
She does to some of them, but I'm stuck with what you said about Charlie Sheen.
You think, did you, I could not have heard this.
You said that women look at Charlie Sheen and they want to support Charlie Sheen.
They see him in a good relationship or something?
Oh, absolutely.
I think there's a great percentage of women who look at that as, I mean, look, he's right at the moment.
He's living with two young girls.
He's on his third wife.
Apparently, I don't know if I have the story.
Do you think women want to be part of that?
I think there is.
Sadly enough, I think there's a percentage of women who like to be part of that.
Yes.
Well, I know that there are women who propose to Manson and that kind of stuff, and they send letters proposal to guys on death row, but.
I hate to bring up a bad point, but look at O.J. Simpson.
He was able to get girlfriends after all that.
Yeah.
I mean, it's astounding.
Charlie Sheen doesn't, but he has to go to porn stars, Carrie, in order to...
Does it matter?
Does it matter?
I mean, if you're...
What, a porn star is still a woman?
Is that your point?
Yeah, and she's not literally what intellectual threat.
You know, I'm not saying porn stars are stupid.
I'm sure there's probably some very, very smart women out there who are porn stars.
But, you know, the whole image is that they're not intellectuals.
They're not going to threaten you.
It's sort of like a sex kitten type of deal.
I mean, isn't that a lot more appealing?
You don't have to do anything.
Carrie, he's paying them.
Yeah.
So what?
I mean, women, you know, it's interesting.
Women get paid on all kinds of levels, right?
I mean, in a lot of different situations.
So you're saying men pay for it one way or another, anyways.
Well, well, no, no, no.
That's what it sounded like to me.
Well, some do, some don't.
You know, you look at the vast majority of men out there are probably very good, working hard, and are quiet.
You don't hear from them because they're out there doing their thing, as are women.
Those are the guys you have to worry about.
Well, no, I don't.
Those are the guys that are doing stuff that you wouldn't believe.
It's the guys bragging about it and getting all the news that probably are living the dream.
But the guys that are not talking about it and the guys that you're not hearing about, those are the guys to keep a sharp eye on.
Well, it's kind of a sad commentary that, you know, I don't know how truthful it is.
I hope and pray that it's not, and that, you know, her message is getting across, hopefully, you know, whether or not she's whatever, I don't know, whatever the reasons are that people don't like her or do like her, it all fascinates me.
Because there's not one common reason, pro or con.
They're all over the board.
I don't think I've really ever seen anything like it with any other political figure.
I just haven't.
And it doesn't know any noticeable boundaries.
So it remains a fascinating topic.
Carrie, thanks for the call.
I appreciate it.
We've got to go here, folks, real quick.
Back before you know it.
Don't go away.
Hey, Snerdley, I just got an email asking me if today is open lines stupid.
One guy, subscriber to Rush 24-7, our website, sent me an email through his iPhone app, wanting to cancel his subscription because of the Jimmy Carter wimp call.
I'm not paying good money to sit here and waste two minutes listening to idiocy like that.
Muamar Qaddafi, ladies and gentlemen, Qaddafi's speaking right now on Libyan TV.
One of the things he just said, prepare yourself from tonight.
We will not spare any traitor or any liar.
Run away.
Go to Egypt.
That's Gaddafi.
It's also been announced, you know, Obama's got a 3.30 presser today on Japan.
And they just, after the program is over, obviously.
And they just announced that Obama will not be taking any questions after his 3.30 remarks on Japan.
Because what questions could anybody possibly have?
Especially since he just signed the condolence book.
What is there left to say?
That's what he said.
Well, I could ask some final four questions.
Bend, Oregon.
This is Mark.
Great to have you on the program, sir.
Hello.
Hi, quite an honor, Rush.
Thank you.
I can't tell you how long I waited a call, and I feel very lucky to get through.
The reason I called is I wanted to say to the nation that I think Jimmy Carter is a wimp.
I thought he was a wimp when I was 12, and I still think he is.
And so when that guy called in, I just wanted to call and tell you I had your back on that one.
Well, I appreciate that.
You know, some of you got very upset over that call.
I read the emails.
Really?
Lots of email people upset over that.
I was not letting the guy goad me.
But when somebody says I said something and I'm not sure, you know, if I said it, when I can be glad to discuss it with him.
But I look at a call like that.
See, whereas some of you, this is empathy, and I failed.
Where some of you just get livid over there, I was enjoying it.
That was one of the most enjoyable calls of the day until Carrie called in to tell us the secrets of Charlie Sheen and women.
This has been a very eye-opening day.
This is why one guy is open line stupid today or not.
But to me, those are all fun, or we wouldn't take the call.
But Mark, you want to call him?
I'll call him a wimp.
He is a wimp.
There's no question about a habitat for humanity.
Give me a break.
Well, folks, that's it.
We just simply have no more busy broadcast moments left today.
But there's always tomorrow, as there always will be tomorrow.
And tomorrow being Friday, Open Line Friday.
Will it be another Open Line Stupid?
Will it be Open Line Bomb?
Who knows?
Don't miss it.
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