White House Faults Rush Limbaugh Over "Phony Soldiers" Comment

TPM Election Central:

As we reported earlier today over at The Horse's Mouth, Democrats and others have been pressuring the White House press corps to ask White House flack Dana Perino if President Bush -- who'd earlier condemned MoveOn -- would repudiate Rush Limbaugh's assertion that troops who want to withdraw from Iraq are "phony soldiers."

At the press briefing a few moments ago, a reporter did ask Perino the question. In response, she faulted Rush for the remark. She claimed that while she hadn't personally heard the remarks (she said), the President doesn't agree with the underlying sentiment and wouldn't have used those words.

Read the whole story: TPM Election Central

Comments

[DorianEstuardo]

Rush Limbaugh has called our military who criticize or oppose the war in Iraq "phony soldiers." Thus, according to Rush, the numerous American soldiers who, notwithstanding their opposition to the war, bravely followed orders, did combat in Iraq and were injured or even gave their lives there (such as Omar Mora and Yance T. Gray who wrote an Op-Ed in the New York Times criticizing the war) are "phony soldiers." I served honorably for twenty years in the U.S. military, but today I oppose the war in Iraq. I assume Rush will call me a "phony veteran." Considering the source, a man who has the gal to defame those who served while he himself never served a single day in the military (allegedly because of a boil between his buttocks), I would wear such an accusation as a badge of honor.
Major Dorian de Wind (USAF, Retired)

[Libertysconscience]

This man is lucky all he has to worry about is rehab and relapses for his oxyjocking abuse that he hypocritically wouldn't even ascribe to himself his own statemetns regarding addicts.

HE SITS HIDDEN LIKE an Iguana spewing venomous hatred extended to our over-stretched military fighting and dying in the failed Iraq Pacification thanks to the Pentagon lack of respect for the troops by not yanking his program from the official military airwaves provided to make their service slightly more bearable listening to stations from home.

The Oxyjock reached sewer swamp status equal to enemies during wars who air broadcasts aimed at perpetrating divisiveness destroying morale amongst the troops by making his money spewing venom paid for from the tax payers' paid Defense Department porgram who should demand his paychecks end
after declaring any soldier who disagrees with this failed Iraqi PACIFICATION ARE VALIANT AMERICAN SOLDIERS, DEFENDERS OF OUR NATION!

Knowing he had nothing of consequence to fear from this administration
he DARED
[with his unearned egotistical self impotence]

DECLARE
our AMERICAN SOLDIERS' DESPITE THEIR PERSONAL OPINIONS DON'T SIT LIKE ARMCHAIR REHAB BLOWHARDS viewing their own lives so vital they WON'T ENLIST TO DEFEND AMERICA lest these lf annointed patriots RISK dying they so capriciously boisterously espouse for others....
WHILE AMERICA'S TRUE PATRIOTS, OUR
SOLDIERS PLACE HONOR OF THEIR DEFENSE OF AMERICA
BEFORE THEIR OPINION
HAVE EARNED THE RIGHT ABOVE OTHERS
RIGHT TO FREELY EXPRESS THEIR OPINIONS CARRYING FAR GREATER CREDIBILITY
THAN COWARDLY OXYJOCKS SPENDING THEIR DAYS EXPELLING GASEOUS AIR ON HIS AND OTHER COHORTS' PROGRAMS ABHORENTLY DECLARING
ANY OUTSPOKEN SOLDIERS IN KILL ZONES ARE
FAKE SOLDIERS
BECAUSE THE SOLDIER'S VIEWS DON'T COMPLY WITH HIS AND OTHER COHORTS FASCIST OPINIONS. . .

THESE ORAL FIXATORS LUSTING THOSE BIG ROUND LONG THINGS ROLLING AROUND HIS TONGUE PROVIDING HIM WITH A PRIMAL SATISFACTION,
ARE THE REAL FAKES.

TAKING CAUTION OF HIS CIGAR PLEASURE SYMBOLISM
LEST HE FIND HIMSELF GUILTY OF ANOTHER ISSUE HE MADE MILLIONS EXPLOITING CONSIDERING HIS VIEWS ON GAYS AND DRUG ABUSERS.

THE PRESIDENT CLAIMING IGNORANCE BY DOWNPLAYING IT SEALS HIS COMPLICITNESS BY NOT FORCEFULLY DENOUNCING VILE REMARKS ABOUT OUR SOLDIERS.

[donkee]

but...

it is good to

see rush get back a

little of what he's been dishing

for so long

heh...

[Libsrule]

This quote from the White House is where you see the true hypocrisy of the White House:

"Pressed specifically about Rush's "phony soldiers" phrase, she added: "It's not what the President would have used, no.""

So what exactly would the White House call them?

That should have been the next question.

Let's see how fast the Thug party condemns Rush?

Oh yeah, he's one of them so then it's okay.

GOP thy name is fucking hypocrisy.

[donkee]

a pissing contest to see

who's the biggest

almighty patriot

in the world

give me

a fu*cking break

heh...

[Gary47]

Stop caring. Get his offensive mug off our website.

[MoeJava]

"Limbaugh said that to oppose the war was to betray all the other soldiers fighting the war." kevenseven

Didnt Rush actually "oppose the war" when he elected not to serve? If he didnt oppose it so strenuously, he could have had a medical procedure to remove his butt boil, and then went on to basic training and served anyhow. Seems that his patriotism is in question because HE didnt feel strongly enough to serve, thus opposed the war in his own way.
Didnt his act of staying stateside serve as a betrayal to all those fighting men?
Phony Soldier indeed, Rush!

[TimN]

This argument would have merit if President Bush received campaign funds from Limbaugh as the Democratic candidates surely have from MoveOn.org.

[SpaceCadet]

[[This argument would have merit if President Bush received campaign funds from Limbaugh as the Democratic candidates surely have from MoveOn.org.]]

You wingnuts always try to worm your way out of admitting your rank hypocrisy. If the MoveOn ad attacking one well-connected political general was "disgusting" as Bush said, then Limblob's assault on ALL American troops who've opposed the war after being in harm's way should make Bush puke his guts out.

[kevenseven]

Patreaus is a perfectly legitimate target of criticism by MoveOn and anyone else who would care to express an opinion on our prediciment in Iraq.

Patraeus has stepped over the line into the political world, and deserves no more consideration than any senator or congressman, or beltway pundit or talkshow host.

Patreaus has made himself a salesman for Bush's catastrophe, and had grossly misrepresented the reality on the ground in Iraq.

MoveOn was utterly within their rights and acted patriotically by speaking their conscience.

[TimN]

I'm no Limbaugh fan, and I agree that an assault on All American troops who've opposed the war is "disgusting". I've read the MediaMatters transcript and I'm not convinced that is what he was saying. When Limbaugh said "phoney soldiers" he may have been referring specifically to individuals like Jesse MacBeth, who lied about his service (he never served at all), or individuals like Josh Lansdale and Scott Beauchamp, who may have exaggerated their service. That said, the President has neither the facts to specifically condemn Limbaugh, nor does he have the responsibility to condemn private citizens for whatever "disgusting" thing they might say. If Bush had accepted money from Limbaugh (as many of the Democratic presidential candidates had from MoveOn) then it would be different.

[kevenseven]

Yawn. What an imbecilic argument.

Limbaugh has slandered every soldier who opposes this war as traitors.

And in your defense you agree with him.

"Dissent=treason" is a fascistic creed.

[TimN]

I'm not convinced that "Limbaugh has slandered every soldier who opposes this war as traitors".

Please see my 11:28 comment above.

[blackjack]

There is only one PHONEY SOLDIER that I know of and sorry to say this but he lives at this time in our WHITE HOUSE, not only a phoney but IN my humble VEW he is A CHICKENHAWK YELLOW BELLY COWARD. Just like LINBAUGH, while me and thousands were in VIETNAM there were both in the states living the HIGH life.

[smartstuart]

Enough of this...could we have more of Brittany Spears without the undies,please???

[ContraEgoiste]

Since they are devoid of substance or truth I think they could at least make the WH press meetings entertaining. They should get a drummer and after nuggets like this....

"the President...wouldn't have used those words."

... he would deliver a rimshot.

[anastasiabeaverhousen]

Viagra Vinnie dared to stray from the official gop talking points? How dare he?

At this point, I don't know who is the bigger idiot: the worst president in American history or the biggest lying sack of shit in American history.

[Ranta]

It looks like The American Conservative Magazine doesn't think much of General Petraeus either. I wonder if congress is going to castigate them for their stand also.

http://www.amconmag.com/2007/2007_09_24/article2.html

[factanonverba]

Funny, you don't see Rush Limbaugh volunteering to go fight in Iraq to pad his resume.

[Birdman]

Gee I wonder will Bush say this is disgusting? will congress pass a resolution condeming the commnents? I doubt any of it will see the light of day, Oh you might see a few saying well he should not have said that but it was just a small issue anyway, the fight against terrorist is more important. They will just spin it saying other things shoild be focused on and not what Rush said. Besides they will say he was taken out of context by the liberal media anyway so it is not worth discussing except that the liberal media hates the soldiers for fabricating this lie.

[JackMonroe]

Look. You have to understand something about Rush Limbaugh. 1. The guy's a dope addict. When caught in the act, he was taking somewhere between 45 and 50 oxycontins daily. Now that may sound like fun, but just check out the label on your prescription. One every couple of hours to alleviate pain, no more than four per day. Of course a decent rudimentary high requires at least four the first hour, washed down with a tumbler of 100 % per agave tequila. But 45 to 50 oxies per day is herculean within the world of addicts. He's lucky he's one rich republican, otherwise he'd would have been working the streets, performing unnatural acts hourly, just to get a quarter of what he was used to. Be that as it may, the downside to oxycontin is that it's physically harmful. Rush Limbaugh lost his hearing because of his drug use. If oxies can destroy your eardrums can you imagine what it must have done to the soft tissue of his brain? That pretty much explains everything right there in a nutshell...