Rush Limbaugh owes a huge apology

Posted By Uncle Jimbo

UPDATE: All right chill out everyone. I listened to the clip at the link below which has at least 3 minutes or so before he says the phony soldiers bit and there is no context that would lead you to understand his use of the phrase. If there is a longer clip and it does show he meant the Macbeths of the world, then I owe a huge apology. I man up when I'm wrong. So Rush, I am sorry I said you owed an apology. You do not. I am gonna stick with most of the names I called you though except "stunningly stupid" and "foolish and disrespectful" as those referred to this non-incident. Audio at Flopping Aces

First things first, I haven't listened to Rush Limbaugh in 20 years or so. The only time I remember, I was driving cross country and there are patches where he was the only thing on the radidio. I decided then that even though I agreed with most of his positions he was such a pompous, jackass windbag that I couldn't stand to listen to him. Bill O' Reilly affects me the same way, honestly they remind me of the things I like least about myself. The problem with running your mouth full time in public is you will eventually say something stunningly stupid. Rush managed that on his show in a confusing exchange (reproduced below) that boils down to one simple thing, Rush said that troops who favor withdrawal from Iraq are "phony soldiers"

That is a foolish and disrespectful statement and Rush Limbaugh owes an apology. Just because these whelps have the audacity to disagree with the giant clown they are somehow phonier than him? BS, if they get blown up by an IED they die every bit as much as a freaking dittohead troop. What an ass. I know we have plenty of folks who listen to him and I understand why. He is a tremendous advocate and an entertaining smart ass. But the one thing we hold, despite the left's false claims, is the moral high ground. We are the ones who defend to the death everyone's right to say what they want. And the opinion of a loudmouth with no skin in the game sure doesn't change that. That is the worst inversion of the chickenhawk argument I've ever seen. The bloated bloviator sitting on his ass calls serving troops "phony soldiers"? Oh Hell No!

This ought to be an easy call people, Rush needs to apologize pretty deeply. I looked at his website and it wanted me to join RUSH 24/7 to email the buffoon, not likely. If anyone knows contact info comment or ping me and I will post it. And I guess you can call his show, tell him I said to man up.

This what he said, and there is a longer audio clip here.

During the September 26 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Rush Limbaugh called service members who advocate U.S. withdrawal from Iraq "phony soldiers." He made the comment while discussing with a caller a conversation he had with a previous caller, "Mike from Chicago," who said he "used to be military," and "believe[s] that we should pull out of Iraq." Limbaugh told the second caller, whom he identified as "Mike, this one from Olympia, Washington," that "[t]here's a lot" that people who favor U.S. withdrawal "don't understand" and that when asked why the United States should pull out, their only answer is, " 'Well, we just gotta bring the troops home.' ... 'Save the -- keeps the troops safe' or whatever," adding, "[I]t's not possible, intellectually, to follow these people." "Mike" from Olympia replied, "No, it's not, and what's really funny is, they never talk to real soldiers. They like to pull these soldiers that come up out of the blue and talk to the media." Limbaugh interjected, "The phony soldiers." The caller, who had earlier said, "I am a serving American military, in the Army," agreed, replying, "The phony soldiers."

I really do like to call names when I get wound up, here are my shots in just this bit.

pompous, jackass windbag...stunningly stupid...foolish and disrespectful...giant clown...What an ass...a loudmouth with no skin in the game...bloated bloviator sitting on his ass...the buffoon

And that's in just three paragraphs, good thing I'm always right with talent encoded in my DNA, honed by the adventures that are my life. This is Uncle J from EIB (Expert Infantryman's Badge) Studios saying bugger off wankers.

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Comments

[dadmanly]

Jimbo,

Thanks for stating this publicly. I have to agree with you on this one, Rush needs to apologize for his wrong-headed remark.

We want people to take us seriously for our opinions that support our military efforts, we have to acknowledge that there are other soldiers who disagree with specific policies, decisions, even wars. If they serve with honor, if they respect their service, if they act within their rights and obligations, we're wrong when we attack their honor merely because we disagree.

That's what we find so objectionable in many anti-war critics on the left. WE should find the same behavior on the right just as objectionable.

[Richard R]

Sorry, Rush needs not apologize -- he was clearly referring to the liars who claim to be soldiers, like Jesse Macbeth.

Listen to Rush today -- he makes it pretty clear. No apology needed, the left has to apologize for this drive-by smear, through which incredibly respectful people like Uncle Jimbo get swept into.

[Casper]

Jimbo -

Limbaugh opened his show today by playing the "full tape", including the parts that had been conveniently left out by Media Matters. He was talking expressly about Jessie McBeth.

Casper

[Casper]

... and I need to type faster, or read faster, or something.

Casper

[usasteve]

Sorry,Uncle Jimbo,but Richard R is correct.It is a favorite tactic of The Surrender lobby,taught in seminars by MoveOn and others, to claim to be what they are not.E.g. "I'm a Republican, but..." or "I'm just back from Iraq,and I'd like to say..",and then trashing our efforts. Rush spotted a fake; you didn't. He knows these people; you don't.

Sorry,but them's the facts.

[Navyvet]

The Media Matters people routinely take comments by conservatives out of context and then spew them to the MSM which laps them up like candy. O'Reilly may be a blowhard at times, but he's got this one right: don't trust the MSM for the truth at any time. Fact check everything.

[Lands’nGrooves]

UJ,

Slow down, please. I heard this exchange on the radio and he was CLEARLY talking about people claiming to be soldiers but is not. While I’m a Rush fan, I would have not problem calling him out if indeed he was being disrespectful to anyone in the military. Conversely UJ, don’t let your obvious bias get in the way with something that is just not there.

Christ, do we have to start attacking each other now. The big picture is getting very cloudy by this type of crap. F*&k!!!

[Patrick]

Sorry, gotta disagree with you on two point. First, it's a travesty to put O'Rielly and Rush in the same class of blowhard. They are both blowhards, to be sure, but O'Rielly just says goofy shit and acts like a jagdork to get ratings. Rush is consistent in his schtick.

Second, I could call Rush's show and claim to be a soldier, advocating for this or against that - and that will not make me a soldier. Rush's reference was clearly to Jesse MacBeth and others, with fake or embellished service records, that the MSM manages to find and interview. And to callers to his and other shows, who claim to be things for which there can be no real proof (other than having someone wise in the ways of the military screen the callers).

[FbL]

If I understand things correctly, Media Matters claims to be "independent," but is a Soros-funded organization. They have a LONG history of taking non-lefties out of context in ways that make the non-lefties look bad. I'd be VERY, VERY careful about taking their word on ANYTHING. Is there anybody out there who is a Rush Limbaugh subscriber who can give Jimbo his/her login so that he can hear the original archives on this?

[Rich Casebolt]

OTOH, to me it sure seems that guys like Jesse Macbeth and Scott Beauchamp keep popping up front-and-center in the media eye, no questions asked (except in the blogosphere).

And when the IVAW takes front-and-center in antiwar protests, no one reporting (except bloggers like SMASH -- dang, I miss him) takes the time to separate the principled from the poseurs in that gaggle.

I also remember, a while back, someone describing the typical response of a solider or Marine to a media inquiry ... words to the effect of "not interested in talking to you". Is that typical? If it is, then the MSM's grunt-derived information base could be easily skewed by those with an agenda.

I agree that Rush used too broad a brush ... but there is a grain of truth to what he was saying here.

Preparing for return fire ...

[jordan]

Yup, this was definitely a distortion and journalistic malpractice on Media Matter's part. I heard the audio just now, and that's not what he said. The transcript doesn't really reflect the audio dialogue either.

The caller was military, and saying that the left just trots out one or two to protest the war, like Jesse Macbeth. Rush was referring only to Jesse Macbeth. He was agreeing with the caller.

A congresswoman also loudly proclaimed that he should apologize. Rush has a pretty good slander/libel suit against her, as well as Jim Webb.

The Dem Congressmen are pathetic, that they would go to the floor and claim he said this, and concoct a whole narrative around it like they knew what he meant.

After all the BS this Congress has done to skewer Petraeus, the military, and individual soldiers, this is really an insult. This isn't just liberal media bias, it's slanderous, and a false accusation.

[Rich Casebolt]

After seeing all the responses that popped up while I was writing mine, maybe I was wrong about the width of Rush's brush ...

Citing Media Matters as a source?

UJ, you should know better.

[Uncle Jimbo]

I posted this at the top as well.
UPDATE: All right chill out everyone. I listened to the clip at the link below which has at least 3 minutes or so before he says the phony soldiers bit and there is no context that would lead you to understand his use of the phrase. If there is a longer clip and it does show he meant the Macbeths of the world, then I owe a huge apology. I man up when I'm wrong. So Rush, I am sorry I said you owed an apology. You do not. I am gonna stick with most of the names I called you though except stunningly stupid and foolisg and disrespectful as those referred to this non-incident.

I know what Media Matters is, but I did listen the clip and given it's length it was hard to see what context would change that.

Cordially,

Uncle J

[Karl B]

Rush pretty much, once again, made these guys look like idiots. The statements used were totally out of context. They try their best to blast him, only making themselves look like COMPLETE IDIOTS. Rush is playing everyones comments including those from our Representatives... Wait till the end of the day and goto his website to get the transcripts... You people should know better when it comes to Rush and his support of the military... But the MSM will never print a retraction nor will those in the halls of the US Govt apologize. They get their hit and move - hence Rush's coined phrase - THE DRIVE BY MEDIA.

[Richard R]

Now that's why Uncle Jimbo is incredibly respectful :)

[jordan]

The Dems must have truly been damaged by the Betrayus ad fallout, and this is prob an attempt to crawl out of that.

It's kind of scary that the Soros media complex is able to concoct such a thing, with money and fellow travelers in the Congress. They ALL assumed it was true. In a way, it's a good sign. They're desperate to get back into the good graces of the military, and are grabbing at straws to do it.

Another one on the Hill floor says Rush said any soldiers that disagree with the war are phony soldiers. That's an outright lie. That's not what he said.
The only surprise is they should have known this would be easily checked out and uncovered as a fraudulent news story. There goes any reputation Media Matters ever had.

Weren't there a number of other phonies prior to Jessie and Scott of TNR?

[feral cowboy]

UJ, you are way off base and into a real case of stupids re Rush. If you had listened to it you would have discovered that he was specifically talking about these phonies like Jessie McBeth. And he spent a couple of minutes describing what a phoney (with facts)that guy was. "That is a foolish and disrespectful statement and Rush Limbaugh owes an apology." I would say you owe Rush an apology. Surely we could put several in that category like Scott Thomas Beauchamp.
For you to attack him without listening to what he says, relying on the "phoney" press for accuracy with their drive by attacks is quiet frankly BS.
Oh, I get it, you haven't listened to him in 20 years.
"pompous, jackass windbag"? Try the mirror UJ.
And oh by the way, if you would look at the website you would see that it is rush@eibnet.com or why don't you call him at 8002822882.

[Karl B]

Ed at Captain's Quarters has the the entire transcript up and some commentary http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/013920.php

[Uncle Jimbo]

Oh, I get it, you haven't listened to him in 20 years.
"pompous, jackass windbag"? Try the mirror UJ.

Were you unable to read the next sentence feral?

he was such a pompous, jackass windbag that I couldn't stand to listen to him. Bill O' Reilly affects me the same way, honestly they remind me of the things I like least about myself.

I already looked in the mirror.

OK everybody quit yelling at me about Rush. I WAS WRONG!

And when a man admits he was wrong and means it, he is instantly forgiven-

The International Rule Book (as interpreted by Kev)

Cordially,

Uncle J

I still don't like Rush but I may call and apologize in person. I just don't do well on hold.

[Lands’nGrooves]

Jordan,

“The only surprise is they should have known this would be easily checked out and uncovered as a fraudulent news story.”

They don’t care. They rely on people to be lazy, not get the whole story and the facts straight. (It’s very effective considering the attention span of Americans). The initial story gets sensationalized, people go crazy and then the truth becomes irrelevant. Thus the damage is done.

[FbL]

they remind me of the things I like least about myself.

I laughed right outloud when I read that, Jimbo. But we luv ya--'cause you're OUR pompous, jackass windbag. *GRIN*

Well done, Jimbo (IMHO). :)

[Uncle Jimbo]

Mike in MI sends a link to a full transcript that clearly shows that Rush meant Macbeth et al. Again I humbly, well no, I heartily apolopgize to Rush for getting suckered and then slandering him. I feel so bad, I think I will go read everty post on his website and sign up for RUSH 24/7, does that mean they pump it in your head while you sleep? COOL!

I tried to call, but always busy. Is his show popular or something?

Cordially,

Uncle J

[CMB_67-70]

Jimbo: Don't feel bad for being, like the rest of us, a busy man who cannot possible be aware of everything; Lot's of good folks have been fooled by George Soros, Media Matters, et alii.
Rush Limbaugh, having today played the real tape of his words, was clearly referencing the recently convicted lunatic leftist liar, Jesse MacBeth (http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/waw/press/2007/jun/macbeth.html).
All best, Jimbo
Fortune Favors the Prepared (That's Why We Bleed in Training)

[Igor]

Uncle J:

It's okay, bro, keep on keeping on, and doing your thing.

Rush IS a pompous windbag, and I can only stand listening to him for an hour at most, but he's not a media bomb-thrower - he FULLY supports the troops, as you do. So, kudos to you for the apology, and kudos to you BOTH for your continuing support.

As I said, keep on keeping on...

IGOR

[Uncle Jimbo]

OK I'm felling better now that I sent a note to the big fella

Dear Mr. Limbaugh,

Today on a pretty prominent military website I said some mean things about you.

Here is a listing:

I really do like to call names when I get wound up, here are my shots in just this bit.

pompous, jackass windbag...stunningly stupid...foolish and disrespectful...giant clown...What an ass...a loudmouth with no skin in the game...bloated bloviator sitting on his ass...the buffoon

And that's in just three paragraphs, good thing I'm always right with talent encoded in my DNA, honed by the adventures that are my life. This is Uncle J from EIB (Expert Infantryman's Badge) Studios saying bugger off wankers.

I had listened to the clip about phony soldiers that had the three plus minutes prior, but not the bit after that would have shown you meant Macbeth.

I'm sorry and I take back the things about "stunningly stupid" as well as "foolish and disrespectful" as they pertained directly to this non-incident. I'm sticking with the rest as those were more general names and insults.

Once again, Mea culpa for calling for an apology you did not owe. I tried to call your show and say this in person, but the lines were busy. Apparently you have quite a following, they sure bit my ass in our comments.

Cordially,

Uncle J

[Vito]

Even if he was talking about Macbeth, it doesn't change the fact that he lumped the actual Iraqi soldiers that criticize the war right in with him. Essentially implying that the only soldiers that are talking to the media are "phony soldiers" like Jesse Macbeth. Which is exactly what he was originally interpreted to say.

[defendusa]

UJ,
I waited all day for B5 to come out with something. Read it and didn't believe it...knew the MSM would cherry pick the shitt out of that clip. Oh well, easy come easy go. (LMAO at your EIB network!! That is classic! Sure am glad he handed it to lame basturds, though.

[Synova]

I'm not a suck-up, really! But I'm often surprised at just how often I agree with you, Jimbo. I will say, though, that Rush is much less obnoxious in transcript form than he is on the radio.

Which gives him one up on O'Reilly, who is obnoxious no matter what.

[bdun41]

Taken out of context? MAybe so, maybe not but let's keep in mind that Rush has a clear record of questioning the patriotism of those who served just because he doesn't agree with their politics:
He called Senator Hagel "Senator Betrayus" long before the MoveOn ad ever came along. And then there was his comments about Paul Hackett:
Paul Hackett served in the 1st Marine Division in Ramadi and Fallujah during 2004 and 2005. When he returned home, Hackett was a vocal war critic and ended up running for Congress in a special election against Republican Jean Schmidt.
Limbaugh smeared Hackett on his radio show in 2005, calling Hackett a "staff puke," claiming he went to Iraq "to pad [his] resume," and attacking him as "a liberal hiding behind a military uniform."
So I'm not really sure why everyone's rushing to his defense. The guy avoided Vietnam (even though he supported it) and now he's attacking others who had the cajones to serve because he doesn't like their politics. Pretty weak.

[dadmanly]

UJ, others here,

I re-read the transcript. I think it's clear who Rush was thinking about and referring to. When he said "phony soldiers," it was in response to those who the caller was describing as "not real soldiers" who the media keeps trotting out (Macbeth), or "soldiers" who tell phony stories (Beauchamp).

Another comment seemed to imply that all "real soldiers" support being in Iraq. I thought that was Rush who said that, which made he think he was construed correctly.

A review of the transcript confirms that the caller actually made that observation, and Rush immediately followed up with commentary about Macbeth.

I was wrong, and stand corrected. Rush owes no one an apology for the remarks under discussion.

I should have

[feral cowboy]

UJ,
If you thought you would get back on our good side by adding the second picture of Grace...top left column no less....you were exactly right. You are "instantly forgiven".
And cheers for having the cojones to apologize.

[Old Tanker]

bdun41

Do you have links to the transcripts from Rush on Hackett? I do recall Rush going after him as being a serious lefty but I don't recall him attacking Hackett's service. Not saying you're wrong, I just never heard it. I realize most likely those transcripts are on the 24/7 side and I'm not a subscriber.

[Ken]

Your link was from Media Matters. That was all I needed to know.

I would say "Shame on you Uncle J", but I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt. I will assume that you were simply unfamiliar with MM.

Next time, however, I won't be so forgiving. :)

[TBinSTL]

Here's everything you need on the topic.
http://radioequalizer.blogspot.com/2007/09/rush-limbaugh-troops-controversy-media.html

Someday I'll figure out how to post links here...

[drillanwr]

Okay. Here is a link to the Rush Ditto-Cam video from the beginning of today's radio show where Limbaugh laid it all out. Runs around 9 minutes:

Rush Limbaugh: Anatomy of a Smear

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rm84gOXkZaY

[bdun41]

Feral Cowboy,

Here's the URL:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFrCXUOfz8A

[SteveC]

It's disappointing to see you be so wrong and to be wrong about someone you don't even listen to. But it's tough for anyone to understand the Limbaugh routine if you don't listen to it a little while....there's lots of fake for-fun arrogance and he does make his points with humor in different ways. But to each his own taste and some don't like his format. Fine and understandable.

Seems that everyone else has commented on your original error and you've corrected yourself, and I've commented on the fact that in my opinion you are wrong about Rush. But I want to call you on your saying that "he has no skin" in the game. So: You think that unless you're military, or unless you have family in the game, you can't have or state a viewpoint that is valid? I hope that isn't what you meant because that is the same tripe we get from the left about "chickenhawks." Anyway, I think that comment by you was inappropriate and wanted to say so. And I DO have skin in the game as my brother is navy, stationed out of Coronado and deployed somewhere in Africa. But despite that, I don't think my comments are any more or less valid with or without that fact.

I enjoy your blog - keep it up.

[Allan]

Uncle J,

There was ambiguity to Rush's comments.

Initially, I note that Rush never, NEVER, even during discussion of this, says that there are "real" soldiers who oppose the war. This is an example of pure spin.

So, we probably can all agree that there are "real" soldiers on both sides of the issue. By "real", I mean soldiers who support the war and soldiers who do not support the war. There are also "phony" soldiers, those who never served, but claim they did (both on the left and the right, although those on the right are doing it to impress (usually someone of the opposite sex)) not to oppose the war.

The caller identifies himself as a "real" soldier who supports the war. OK. He complains that the left always goes to soldiers that Rush calls "phony" soldiers. Well, it is not true that the left only goes to "phony" soldiers to for anti-war statements. The left normally goes to "real" soldiers, but there are some, one of whom has been listed on your blog (Scott Beauchamp, or whatever his name is, is a real soldier who likely lied), who are "phony" soldiers, by Rush's definition, and mine.

We are left with an apparent accusation by the listener and affirmed by Rush that every soldier who opposes the war is not a "real" soldier.

Had Rush been honest, he would have acknowledge that there are some "real" soldiers (for lack of a better term) who oppose the war, but that there was at least one anti-war critic who was phony.

So, Rush was ambiguous. Even in context, his comments were ambiguous. However, his claim that he was referring to the MacBeths of the world when he mentioned Phony soldiers is plausible. He should have said so at the time. Since he did not, he should have made clear that soldiers who oppose the war are, in his mind, "real" soldiers.

[Uncle Jimbo]

SteveC,

When I cracked he had no skin in the game, I thought he was belittling those who did. That seemed worse than even the chickenhawk argument. And no, we don't countenance chickenhawking here. Experience speaks, but so can everyon else.

Cordially,

Uncle J

[SteveG]

Rush is a blowhard.... and getting a headache from listening to him is a good sign.
Aversion therapy.

[jordan]

Jimbo, don't take on more blame than is deserved. Media Matters presents itself as a nonprofit research and information center dedicated to analyzing and correcting conservative utterances across all media. Sounds good, almost academic. Therefore, it's reasonable that one should be able to invest a level of basic trust in what they report. No one can or should have to personally verify and check out every piece of news, if you think it's basically a reputable source.

In this case, if you just looked at the Media Matters report, and they said someone said something on the air, it's reasonable to assume that that's a fact. After all, if it weren't true, why would MM make such an incendiary, false accusation that could be so easily refuted simply by replaying the tape?

All they would gain is several hours of hammering away at Rush for a seemingly legitimate reason, until the deception was inevitably exposed. Perhaps a short-term, one-news cycle slam is all they were after, if it was deliberate.

[MICHAEL in MI]

Hey Uncle Jimbo - Thanks for reading the notes I sent from work and reading the full transcript. I wasn't taking issue so much with your opinion of Rush Limbaugh, so much as I was with you taking MediaMatters at their word for what Rush Limbaugh stated.

I talked this over with a coworker - who is in the NAVY Reserves (and with whom I talk about many military matters to get his input) - and, in addition to stating that he agreed with you on both your general opinion of Rush and your criticism of his statement going over the line, he mentioned that Katie Couric even had a story recently where she covered the Jesse MacBeth guy. After hearing that, I mentioned that that needs to be included as part of the overall context of this portion of his show. With MacBeth being in the news, and with those of us in the know (which apparently also includes Rush in addition to those of us who have read milblogs for years now) being aware of these "phony soldiers" being very popular with the Left and the Media, one can correctly hear his comments as him referring to the "phony soldiers" the media likes to march in front of the cameras and the nation every other day to denounce the war and the effort and the Administration, ad naseum.

But I can also see the other side of this and put myself in the place of someone who (1) has a general dislike of Rush Limbaugh (2) has no idea about his general expressed support for the military and (3) has no idea about the numerous cases of "phony soldiers" paraded around by the Left and the mass media (such as Jesse MacBeth and many more with the IVAW), then the automatic assumption is that Rush is stating that anti-war soldiers are phony. I can see that interpretation happening, especially with the out of context, selective quoting done by MediaMatters. I can honestly not blame an average person for making that assumption, if they didn't have all the info and background on the actual phony soldiers used by the mass media and the Left.

But, like I said, that's coming from a mostly ignorant viewpoint. Knowing what we all do about actual numerous "phony soldiers" in existence and knowing what I know about Rush Limbaugh and his support of the military and their mission, upon reading the transcript, I immediately assumed he was talking about the Jesse MacBeths when he stated the "phony soldiers" and when the caller was talking about them as well.

But that is just the result of coming from two bases of information. What MediaMatters does is prey on ignorance and bias. In this case, Uncle Jimbo, you were duped because of your bias of not liking Rush Limbaugh. While probably most others were duped by either their ignorance of the Jesse MacBeths of the Left and the mass media or duped by their own anti-Rush bias.

I don't mind people not liking Rush Limbaugh. He is an interesting personality. One either likes him or hates him. I personally really enjoy the guy's personality and his show. On the other hand, I can't stand Bill O'Reilly nor can I stand Sean Hannity. Even though I usually agree with them on most issues. I just don't like their personalities and I don't like the formats of their shows.

But I was just most disappointed in this post, because you were using MediaMatters as a source. To me, that's like getting military after action reports from Al Jazeera and taking them as gospel truth of what our troops are doing in the field. I think we all expected a little more of you, Uncle Jimbo, and that was why we came down so hard on ya.

But no hard feelings. We know you meant well. We all get a little hot under the collar when we see some ignorant twit defame our soldiers. But before letting emotion run wild, we need to consider our sources and make sure we have all the facts. I'm glad people here contributed to give the full story and all the context. And I was glad to see you tone down a little bit.

Heck, maybe your rant can turn into a plug for Blackfive on Rush's show if he hears of your rant and then subsequent backtrack. Wouldn't that be cool!

[jordan]

Allan, there was no ambiguity. He was calling Jesse Macbeth a phony soldier. How many of these leftist darlings have we had since 2003?

Look, we all gave Jon Solz props for his service prior to ripping him a new one. Also, having skin in the game does excuse a certain amount of intensity, urgency and hyperbole in what one says about the war. It's different when a loved one or two are in the thick of it, and stand to be harmed or even killed by the things opponents of the war say and advocate.

That said, not having someone there doesn't take away from the validity of your feelings or beliefs. IMHO, however, there is a difference when your flesh and blood is there, but I know not all military families agree.

[MICHAEL in MI]

Greyhawk has covered the Jesse MacBeth story (as well as all the other phony soldiers embraced by the Left) at length over at Mudville Gazette over the years.

Here's a great post: Mudville Gazette Milblogs - Greyhawk: The Adventures of Jesse and Jack

The modern Leftist is poorly educated, extremely gullible, and easily (mis)led.

Few other lessons are as starkly obvious as this conclusion from the Jesse MacBeth story. In such a situation it becomes difficult to discern who was the con man, who else was "in on it", and who were the conned, but clearly this week a large number of people were quite willingly duped by a third-rate phony. This is not the first time so many have been so taken in by so obvious a fraud. At some point they may wise up, but thus far like aging children at Christmas they "want to believe".

Heh. :)

And here is his archive if you want to peruse: Mudville Gazette: Jesse MacBeth

[Deltabravo]

I for one am going to give UJ a pass on this one. Because he's been at this so long he has the 1,000-yard stare of someone who EXPECTS to get tackled by his own backfield. That's the whole problem here. It wouldn't be the first time. And it's kind of sad when that's the first reaction to a story, instead of "This must be wrong. Let's dig deeper."

UJ doesn't have a history of intellectual laziness in this respect. I saw a knee-jerk reaction by someone who has learned that our backs aren't entirely covered.

And yes, those of us with family and friends over there are especially sensitive to the tone of the media. Rush has been at the game long enough, he should have known better and clarified himself better as well. I'm sure his switchboard lit up and his emails went berserk after that segment and it should have given him enough time to say "Hold the phone. You all heard it wrong."

[texas]

Rush has many callers who pretend to be Soldiers, Republicans, etc. and they are merely moveon.org people or 9/11/Ron Paul minions trying to lie in order to get their point across. Rush has the utmost respect for the Troops and mentions that on his radio show constantly. He IS misunderstood also, because of his weird sense of humor. But I'm a Texan and I can relate.

[Cannoneer No4]

Media Matters instigated an episode of Blue on Blue IO fratricide. That Rush is on our side is not universally accepted, proving that the milblogosphere is not ideologically pure. In independence there is credibility.

[Mr.Sparkle]

Whatever you say about Rush, it always cracks me up that this fat f*cking douche bag missed out on the Vietnam war because he had a sore bottom.

For everyone who wants to comment good/bad points, the people who are paying for this war are the soldiers and their families. these pundits like Rush and O'Reily are making lots of money talking about shit. There are people on this blog who have actually served, or who have embedded in war zones.

The pundits can go take a hike.

[JihadGene]

Frum Texas-
"He IS misunderstood also, because of his weird sense of humor. But I'm a Texan and I can relate".

Frum Great Reader, KIM-Ewing Jong IL, Norf of Souf Fork Ranch Dressing, Deep in the Heart of KimChee-

HoeLee Balls of Shit-fire, Texass! Beweave me... I'm Norf Korean and I'm can really, really, re-rate!

Ruv Yoo Loong Time,
KIM (Jimmy Wang Yang) Jong IL

PMS... Had to make dis a short one as Elrie May Clampitt just showed up wiff The Nature Boy Ric Flair, and Miss Jane Haffaway! WoooHooo!!!It's Flyday nite in Pyongyang!

[Synova]

There are lots of people making lots of money doing really empty things.

I wish I was one of them.

[Mr.Sparkle]

Yeah - so do I!

[Allan]

Did I read it wrong, or did Rush not say that Scott Thomas (Beauchamp) was a phony soldier? And Jack Murtha, too.

Like Murtha and Thomas, or not, there is no doubt that both of them are "real" soldiers.

It seems as though Rush was really calling soldiers and marines who fought for our country and oppose the current war phonies...

[MICHAEL in MI]

Allan - Read the full transcript. The Caller, who describes himself as an Army veteran, is actually the one who says that "real soldiers" support the war effort, want to be there and believe in the mission.

When Rush refers to "phony soldiers", he is inferring the actual phony soldiers, such as Jesse MacBeth, that the media enjoys trotting out to spread anti-mission, anti-Bush Administration rhetoric.

Those who don't know about the actual phony soldiers such as Jesse MacBeth and the many others trotted out by the IVAW and other anti-mission groups could conceivable interpret his comments to be calling anti-mission troops as "phony", but that would be taking his comments out of context.

I have listened to Rush for years and he has had military members and veterans call in who were against the mission. While he adamantly disagrees with their position, he has never considered them phony. Misguided maybe, but never phony.

[Allan]

Michael,

I read the transcript. It starts out with Rush talking about imposters.

Then you get a caller. The caller complains that the media does not get "real" soldiers. He implies that everyone who the media interviews is not a "real" soldier like he is. Since the media does indeed use as sources individuals who are "real" soldiers, by anyone's definition, the caller is implying that soldiers who oppose the war are phony soldiers. And, then, Rush agrees, calling the soldiers that the caller refers to "phony" soldiers.

It is possible that Rush was alluding to his previous diatribe. But, it is unclear.

What gets me is that the next day, Rush talks about MacBeth, saying he was referring to him the day before and THEN in the next sentence calls Murtha a "phony" soldier.

Let's agree on one thing. Murtha, Thomas, and Kerry are or were "real" soldiers, marines, airmen, or seaman. To a lesser extent, so were Gore and Bush. You may not agree with them, but you cannot take away their service.

Rush and Cheney (and Hillary and Barak, for that matter) were never soldiers of any kind, real or imagined.

[MICHAEL in MI]

Allan - Rush talks about Jesse Macbeth immediately after the 2nd caller. He did not just wait until the next day. That is why I sent the FULL transcript to Uncle Jimbo, so he could use that instead of the clipped transcript provided by Media Matters.

Here is what he stated immediately after he was done with the 2nd caller:

Here is a Morning Update (http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_092407/content/01125101.member.html) that we did recently, talking about fake soldiers. This is a story of who the left props up as heroes. They have their celebrities and one of them was Army Ranger Jesse Macbeth. Now, he was a "corporal." I say in quotes. Twenty-three years old. What made Jesse Macbeth a hero to the anti-war crowd wasn't his Purple Heart; it wasn't his being affiliated with post-traumatic stress disorder from tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. No. What made Jesse Macbeth, Army Ranger, a hero to the left was his courage, in their view, off the battlefield, without regard to consequences. He told the world the abuses he had witnessed in Iraq, American soldiers killing unarmed civilians, hundreds of men, women, even children. In one gruesome account, translated into Arabic and spread widely across the Internet, Army Ranger Jesse Macbeth describes the horrors this way: "We would burn their bodies. We would hang their bodies from the rafters in the mosque."

Now, recently, Jesse Macbeth, poster boy for the anti-war left, had his day in court. And you know what? He was sentenced to five months in jail and three years probation for falsifying a Department of Veterans Affairs claim and his Army discharge record. He was in the Army. Jesse Macbeth was in the Army, folks, briefly. Forty-four days before he washed out of boot camp. Jesse Macbeth isn't an Army Ranger, never was. He isn't a corporal, never was. He never won the Purple Heart, and he was never in combat to witness the horrors he claimed to have seen. You probably haven't even heard about this. And, if you have, you haven't heard much about it. This doesn't fit the narrative and the template in the Drive-By Media and the Democrat Party as to who is a genuine war hero. Don't look for any retractions, by the way. Not from the anti-war left, the anti-military Drive-By Media, or the Arabic websites that spread Jesse Macbeth's lies about our troops, because the truth for the left is fiction that serves their purpose. They have to lie about such atrocities because they can't find any that fit the template of the way they see the US military. In other words, for the American anti-war left, the greatest inconvenience they face is the truth.

[MICHAEL in MI]

Also, Allan, I believe this is the part about Murtha to which you referred:

RUSH: You shouldn't hold your breath because there's no standard to hold me to, in the sense that you're talking about. I never said what you think I said, Congressman Pallone, congresswoman Schakowsky, Senator Kerry, or any of the rest of you in the Drive-By Media. I was talking about a genuine phony soldier -- and, by the way, Jesse MacBeth is not the only one. How about this guy Scott Thomas who was writing fraudulent, phony things in the New Republic about atrocities he saw that never happened? How about Jack Murtha blanketly accepting the notion that Marines in Haditha engaged in wanton murder of innocent children and civilians? If anybody owes anybody an apology, the entire Democrat Party, from Hillary Clinton on down, owes the US military an apology. They owe me an apology, and they owe the American people an apology -- and they are owed massive defeat in 2008! They are irresponsible, they are dishonest, they are incompetent, and they pose a great threat to this country -- as evidenced by this small little episode. Now, I can go back and I could get all kinds of resolutions here to remind you of them, and I will. There were resolutions praising the patriotism of General Petraeus, condemning the MoveOn ad. Kerry voted no, Schakowsky voted no. They didn't want to praise the "patriotism" because "patriotism" to them is opposing victory. Patriotism to them is opposing the US military. Patriotism to them is lying and taking out of context the words of people who are among the biggest supporters of the US military in this country. When I mentioned the term "phony soldier" -- and they all know this -- I was referring to a genuine phony soldier about whom I had informed this audience the previous day and did so again the following day. That was Wednesday and Thursday of this week.

While Rush can be criticized for inferring that Jack Murtha is a "phony soldier", I do believe that most active duty and veteran U.S. Marines refer to REP Murtha as an ex-Marine. Was his service phony? Certainly not. But it is quite a stretch for people to infer that Rush was saying that REP Murtha was a "phony soldier". He was using him as an example of the phoniness of the Democrats in "supporting" the troops. He was showing how they were being hypocritical in criticizing him for an innocuous comment, when they have been guilty of much more blatant defamations of the troops.

[Allan]

Rush clearly says that Scott Thomas is a phony soldier. He may be a liar and a charlatan, but a phony solder he is not.

[MICHAEL in MI]

Actually, Allan, "Scott Thomas" IS a phony soldier. Scott Thomas Beauchamp is a real soldier.

[senorlechero]

I have the utmost respect for you UJ, as an expert on military matters, but this is so rich...........a pompous jackass blowhard calling Rush a "pompous jackass blowhard"

Real nice.

[Zoomie]

Not going to blast Uncle Jimbo on this one, just the general comment that I don't understand the Limbaugh hate here. No, not everyone will like his show format or him personally. Fine. But he DOES do more for the conservative movement than our top ten bloggers combined. He puts information out there to a wider audience before almost anyone else. He was on the S-CHIP travesty before I'd read it on Malkin, Captain's Quarters, or any of the other conservative blogs I frequent. He's been tearing down the global warming movement from day one, thoroughly, completely, and consistantly. I could fill a book with the number of stories he broke before anyone else did. He was a huge part of breaking the liberal stranglehold on the media. You might not like him or agree with him on every issue, but it's a little unfair to dismiss everything he's done in the last twenty years. He's entertained, informed, and sparked some real shifts in the political landscape.

And for the bloggers, he's spotlighted YOUR work more than any other major media figure. He goes to Michelle Malkin, Sweetness & Light, LGF, and Captain's Quarters regularly, credits them for their points and work, and drives massive blog traffic to their sites. Not to say they don't earn their readership--THEY made the points Limbaugh admired--but he takes those points to an enormous audience.

I was listening the day this all went down, and I never for a second took Limbaugh's comments to mean that any soldier who disagreed with Iraq in any way was a phony soldier. He was clearly referencing liars like Macbeth and Beauchamp--people who use their service to give them credibility while they tell bold-faced lies. Beauchamp's a phony soldier not because he disagrees politically with the right, but because he used his service to legitimize his outright lies. That IS a phony soldier. Same with Murtha, if you want to get down to it. Yeah, he served. And he hides behind his service to slander and impugn the honor of our military. When Jason Mattera challenged Murtha on his Haditha remarks, what were almost the first words out of Murtha's mouth? "I served with the Marines..." Blah, blah, blah. And you totally negated that service, Senator, when you smeared your brother Marines for political gain.

We can value the service and despise the man. Using military service as a shield for selling out your fellow soldiers is disgusting. And yeah--though Rush didn't say this about Murtha--I think it gives us grounds to call Murtha and John Kerry, as another example, phony soldiers. They've used their veteran status to recklessly attack the military time and time again and told complete lies about them. Which means they don't get the honor of veteran status, IMO.

[MICHAEL in MI]

Excellent comment, Zoomie. I agree completely.

By the way, here is the latest on this George Soros-funded Media Matters-manufactured "controversy": Michelle Malkin: Rush Limbaugh, phony soldiers, and the Left’s desperate need for its own “Betray Us” moment

As most of us already know, this goes well beyond MacBeth and Beauchamp. And, Uncle Jimbo, this is the kind of thing I expected you to bring up when reporting on this... the background info on all the phony soldiers out there as Michelle Malkin did. And to note that ABC News had JUST done a report on these phony soldiers on the Monday prior to Rush's comments AND Rush had a Morning Update about them on Monday of last week. You put all that in context and anyone who knew all that and was paying attention, knew exactly to whom Rush was referring.

Ever since John Kerry sat in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and accused American soldiers of wantonly razing villages “in fashion reminiscent of Genghis Khan,” the Left has embraced a small cadre of self-loathing soldiers and soldier wannabes willing to sell their deadened souls for the anti-war cause.

Think Jimmy Massey, the unhinged Marine who falsely accused his unit of engaging in mass genocide against Iraqis.

Think Jesse MacBeth and Micah Wright, anti-war Army Rangers who weren’t Army Rangers.

Think Josh Lansdale, the anti-war Army medic who attacked former GOP Sen. Jim Talent by spinning a bogus health care tale swallowed whole by Dem Sen. Claire McCaskill, Gen. Wesley Clark and the far Left VoteVets.org crew.

Think Amorita Randall, the NYTimes-championed former naval construction worker who told the Times magazine that she served in Iraq, was in a Humvee that blew up, and was raped twice while serving in the Navy–but, in fact, had never served in Iraq.

Winter Soldier Syndrome will only be cured when the costs of slandering the troops outweigh the benefits. Exposing Scott Thomas Beauchamp and his brethren matters because the truth matters. The honor of the military matters. The credibility of the media matters.

Think it doesn’t make a difference? Imagine where Sen. John Kerry would be now if the Internet had been around in 1971.

[Immolate]

Any soldier who lies about their service, whether invents it from whole cloth or factually misrepresents it, is a phony soldier. Beauchamp and Macbeth qualify, as does Kerry. Murtha does not. He's a genuine bastard, not a phony.

[Immolate]

*exception noted for tall tales, pranks and other time-honored forms of BS. They are call "war stories" for a reason. Just don't tell your BS to a gullible reporter. That isn't BS'ing, that's lying.