Matt Drudge has summoned the right-wing attack machine on Air America and Randi Rhodes for an irresponsible skit that aired the other day (Rhodes says she hadn’t heard the bit before it ran, and wouldn’t have aired it if she had).
Certainly it’s not the first time that political radio has crossed the line — here’s the difference. In Randi’s case, she took to the air the very next day and apologized, not just to listeners who might have taken offense, but to the Secret Service and to President Bush himself. Air America’s president of programming Jon Sinton also released a statement calling the bit in “bad taste.”
Compare that to the behavior of Rush Limbaugh, whose many offensive remarks making light of the abuses at Abu Ghraib (which top analysts say damaged our efforts to fight terrorism and endangered U.S. troops) were widely condemned, even by members of Congress. Yet, just yesterday, Limbaugh was at it again, marking the first anniversary of the photo revelations by thinking up gifts he’d give to liberals on “Abu Ghraib Day”:
RUSH: “I don’t know how I forgot this. Obviously, at the top of the gift list has to be women’s underwear. Remember, women’s underwear was put on the heads of Islamic prisoners to humiliate them. … Another thing, remember all of the pictures of Abu Ghraib prisoners with bags on their heads, with eye holes cut out. Give them some of those. Those are cheap. Go to the grocery store, get groceries, then give them the empty bags with the eye holes cut out favorite liberal … Then, of course, there is a leash. A leash can be found at any pet store and it goes along with the German Shepherd that you are going to give away to a democrat here as they celebrate the one year anniversary of Abu Ghraib Day. … We forgot, a water board would be a great gift. For some libs, if you could find a naked Iraqi inflatable insurgent doll that would be a thrill. … Kevin in Eugene, Oregon. Hello and welcome to the EIB Network. Hello.
CALLER: How you doing Rush?
RUSH: Pretty good, Kevin.
CALLER: Love to talk to you.
RUSH: Thank you.
CALLER: I just want you to know that we are going to have our Abu Ghraib barbecue party tonight and we are going to be playing nude Twister.
RUSH: (Laughing.) How many people you got coming?
CALLER: Well, I figure we only need 8 or 10 to make it a rip roaring time. I thought that would be kind of fitting.
RUSH: Yeah. Nude Twister? Big Abu Ghraib barbecue. (Laughter.) Okay. And that’s from Oregon. Progress here.
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