Quote of the week

“It’s plainly wrong to want to punish someone for an opinion you don’t agree with.”

— Rush Limbaugh, 10/3/03

I haven’t said much about Limbaugh’s troubles so far, largely because I haven’t had much time to blog. A couple of quick thoughts: the ESPN controversy is the best thing that’s ever happened to him, because it gives him — and his supporters — something to talk about other than drugs. I listened to Sean Hannity’s program a bit on Friday and yesterday, and while he’s mentioned the drug thing, when he speaks of Rush’s “troubles,” he is mostly talking about ESPN and what cowards they were not to support him and how unfairly he was treated and whine whine whine blah blah blah. The only thing Republicans enjoy more than whining about the politics of victimization is whining about how victimized they are.

As for the “hillbilly heroin” — well, it’s Bill Bennett all over again. A man who has made a living excoriating anyone who exhibits human frailty turns out to be a victim of same. Remember, this is the man who has said this:

“Drug use, some might say, is destroying this country. And so if people are violating the law by doing drugs, they ought to be accused and they ought to be convicted and they ought to be sent up.

And this:

“What this says to me is that too many whites are getting away with drug use. Too many whites are getting away with drug sales. Too many whites are getting away with trafficking in this stuff. The answer to this disparity is not to start letting people out of jail because we’re not putting others in jail who are breaking the law. The answer is to go out and find the ones who are getting away with it, convict them and send them up the river, too.”

So, you think, now that Rush has revealed that he is human, with human weaknesses, perhaps he will begin to exhibit a bit more compassion for others. Well, the jury’s still out, but I can’t say that I would bet the house on it. It’s not quite the lesson his supporters seem to have taken out of the whole business so far:

Whether or not the allegations of drug abuse against Rush Limbaugh are true, it would seem that, if true, he has come to his senses and gotten clean. Leftists never will.

All quotes above via Roger Ailes (not that one), who is one of my new favorite bloggers.

(Minor editing — I incorrectly referred to Rush’s “firing.” He actually resigned.)