Rush Limbaugh’s Non-Apology Apology

[ProSense]

Rush Limbaugh’s Non-Apology Apology

By Adele Stan

The headlines have it all wrong: “Rush Limbaugh Apologizes to Georgetown Student,” reads Politico, while the Washington Post puts this headline on an Associated Press story: “Limbaugh Apologizes to Student, Says He Did Not ‘Intend a Personal Attack’”.

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You’ll recall that Limbaugh’s jihad against Fluke, as we blogged here yesterday, focused on her testimony before a congressional committee in favor of the Obama administration’s mandate that employer-provided health insurance plans include no-co-pay coverage for prescription contraception.

This prompted Limbaugh to label Fluke “a slut” and “a prostitute,” and those are presumably the “word choices” for which he is issuing this highly-qualified apology, which was likely prompted by the exodus of sponsors that followed, under pressure from women’s rights advocates, progressive activists and Democrats. Six advertisers, as of Saturday, had dumped “The Rush Limbaugh Show,” and even Republican politicians — generally a pretty ditto-head lot — felt the need to distance themselves, most of them, gingerly, from Limbaugh’s smears.

But Limbaugh’s use of the words “slut” and “prostitute” to describe Fluke isn’t the worst of what he did. What different words would he chose, one wonders, to suggest that Fluke should post videos of herself having sex on the internet in exchange for contraception, as he did last week?

Upon reflection, what words would he select to less insultingly conjure images of Fluke having sex? Additionally, is there a better way for him to ask where she obtained condoms when she was “in junior high,” as he did on one of his programs? You know, a way that would not constitute a “personal attack”?

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http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2012_03/rush_limbaughs_nonapology_apol035812.php#

Good piece, shreds Limbaugh's non-apology.

[BumRushDaShow]

1. The part about "sneakers" was very Frothy "blah people" like...

In fact, come to think of it, the whole non-apology apology was very much like Santorum's non-apology apologies!

I *knew* I had seen that sort of mindless random-stream-of-thought equivocating before!

[ProSense]

2. That's because

he strung together a bunch of incoherent thoughts to try to disquise his lies.

[yellowcanine]

3. Limbaugh pretty much specializes in personal attacks. He rarely does any other kind.

So it is pretty funny for him to say he did not intend it as a personal attack. Of course he did. It was all personal.

[spanone]

4. it was no apology. period.