Jindal: I'm Glad Steele Apologized To Rush (VIDEO)

Rush Limbaugh may insist that he is not, as others have suggested, the head of the Republican Party. But all of the GOP's key players are kissing his proverbial ring in the aftermath of his latest anti-Obama episode and intra-party squabble.

The most recent offering of support came from Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal who on Monday night said that he was glad to see RNC Chairman Michael Steele apologize to Limbaugh after Steele had called the conservative talk show host's program "incendiary" and "ugly."

"I'm glad he apologized," said Jindal, appearing on CNN's Larry King Live. "I think the chairman is a breath of fresh air for the party. As I said before I think Rush is a leader for many conservatives and says things that people are concerned about."

That Jindal, the Republican Party's up-and-coming voice, would side with Rush wasn't entirely surprising. Steele himself had done as much only a few hours earlier. Speaking to Politico roughly one day after he had insisted that Limbaugh was not the head of the Republican Party but merely an "entertainer," the RNC chair apologized for his "inaccurate" remarks.

"I went back at that tape and I realized words that I said weren't what I was thinking," Steele said in an interview with Politico. "It was one of those things where I thinking I was saying one thing, and it came out differently. What I was trying to say was a lot of people ... want to make Rush the scapegoat, the bogeyman, and he's not."

Democrats, not surprisingly, are watching it all with a sense of glee, actively hoping to elevate the brash and divisive Limbaugh to the head of the GOP. Said DNC Chair Tim Kaine in a statement released shortly after Steele's apology.

"I was briefly encouraged by the courageous comments made my counterpart in the Republican Party over the weekend challenging Rush Limbaugh as the leader of the Republican Party and referring to his show as 'incendiary' and 'ugly.' However, Chairman Steele's reversal this evening and his apology to Limbaugh proves the unfortunate point that Limbaugh is the leading force behind the Republican Party, its politics and its obstruction of President Obama's agenda in Washington. Just this weekend, Rush Limbaugh repeated his claim that he is rooting for the President to fail. The last time Rush Limbaugh said he wanted the President to fail, virtually every single Republican in Congress followed his lead and voted against the President's plan to create or save 3.5 million jobs."

Comments

[PhysicsProf]

01:48 AM on 03/07/2009

As an Asian immigrant myself, I was briefly excited when Jindal became governor -- until it became clear his roots are but a facade for what is really underneath: another ignorant redneck elected by ignorant rednecks. I am so disappointed that someone with an Ivy league education would endorse the teaching of intelligent design in public schools. What a damn shame; what a waste.

[AngerAndDetermination]

12:07 PM on 03/05/2009

Bobby Jindal wrote an article for the New Oxford Review, in which he claimed to cast out demons. I am not making this up:

http://www.kulo.org/NewOxfordReview.BobbyJindalsDemon/NewOxfordReview.BobbyJindalsDemon.html

[Pockl]

08:15 PM on 03/04/2009

The Republicans currently in office and leadership positions seem impossibly stupid, and yet this is all really happening.

[dpriced]

12:25 AM on 03/04/2009

My god how can the republicans choose a leader. They can't find anyone with a backbone. Who in their right mind could be afraid of a rich and fat cat like rush. He's ego tripping because these no courage. no ideas, no solutions, republicans only have one word in their vocabulary and of course that's NO! That's equal to the vocabulary of a two year old. Well that pretty much explain it a bunch of 2yr olds trying to be politicians. I respect the voice of those republicans like Joe scarobough and even
John McCain but the rest of these guys put the country to shame . But hey their is alot of limbaugh ditto heads that will never do anything but worship him and pretend that they represent
those good american values and than their god ( limbaugh) in the mix of it all. What a waste of worship.

[jhamm1]

08:55 PM on 03/03/2009

""I went back at that tape and I realized words that I said weren't what I was thinking," Steele said in an interview with Politico. "It was one of those things where I thinking I was saying one thing, and it came out differently."

Well, evidently, there's stupid, there's stupid, and then there's Michael Steele, and I pity the fool on either end of the political spectrum who buys this alleged explanation as sincere.

[bubbuh]

06:28 PM on 03/03/2009

Bobby's happy he has more company in the harem.

[Forman]

06:22 PM on 03/03/2009

I've voted democratic all my life. While I am thrilled Obama is our president, I am not so thrilled by this vacuum of leadership in the republican party. Look what happened when the repubs, under Newt G, had control of congress for 10 years plus. Obstructionist politics under Clinton, and utter disaster under W.
A 2- party system often works in favor of the citizenry, but a 1-party system usually grows complacent, then crooked and self-serving. That Limbaugh is a total whack-job, that Jindal and Palin are fools, is clear. But let us beware that a whole slew of Daschle-like deceivers don't crop up, sure that they'll be re-elected because they are Democrats and therefore, invincible.

[feltdizz]

05:11 PM on 03/03/2009

So there is a white man, a black man and an indian...

I kid you not this sounds like a joke.. the GOP cannot accept a black man or an indian as the GOP leader.. it will be Rush until another white guy comes along.

[matt t]

04:16 PM on 03/03/2009

Imagine there's no RNC.
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

[Phxflyer]

03:48 PM on 03/03/2009

Bobby who?

[lmpub]

03:44 PM on 03/03/2009

How much more spineless and humiliating can the national GOP get? Face facts former Party of Lincoln: Rush Limbaugh is now your leader! Is there no one in the Republican Party with the stones to stand up to this guy? Over the last several weeks, we have watched as Congressmen, the National Chairman and now one of the"Great Hopes" of the party humiliate themselves as they get on their knees and grovel for Rush's approval.
And what makes it especially comical with Jindal is that the whole Rush vs. Steele controversy didn't even involve him. Maybe because Rush was about the only person who didn't trash Jindal's speech a week ago, the Governor felt the need to suck up to him. But, please. How can Governor Jindal expect America in 4 years to believe he can stand up to Bin Laden, Putin and the rest, if he can't even stand up to a radio entertainer.
I think President Obama and his people are brilliantly tying the Republican brand to Limbaugh. Those of us who aren't Ditto Heads and can think for ourselves know Rush to be the Elmer Gantry of American politics.

[joycehelene]

03:33 PM on 03/03/2009

Looks like all of the wimps in the Republican party are falling in line and kissing the ring of their clown saint Rush, Steele, now Jindal, a congressman awhile ago, keep going and you will just turn into GRAND OLD. Rush is suffering from Confirmation Bias and all the others agree with him. SAD, SAD, SAD!!!

[Loki11467]

03:32 PM on 03/03/2009

First your speech sucked now you want to brown nose rush. So that equals presidential material?

[tonydon]

03:31 PM on 03/03/2009

Gee Mr Roger Jindal and uncle Tom Steete have to bow to the Budda dsrug head Limbaugh what a sad state the Repugs are in

[Democratic Doug]

03:26 PM on 03/03/2009

I can not tell you how much I want Governor Jindal to run against President Obama in 2012. I am really looking forward to the next 16 (24) years.

[matt t]

04:10 PM on 03/03/2009

The way it's going it will be Rush crushes Palin the doormat and goes up against Obama.