Dem Rep Wants Limbaugh Debate: "You Are A Coward"

Rep. Brad Sherman, a Democrat from California, has been a leading critic of his party leadership's response to the banking crisis. Over the past month, however, he's been aiming for a new target: Rush Limbaugh.

Except Rush won't play along. In early February, before Limbaugh had become the public face of the GOP, Sherman began making attempts to arrange a debate on Rush's popular radio show, his office said. When Sherman got no response, he sent Rush a letter.

"If you had any confidence in your position, you would agree to my request to have me on your show--where I'm sure I could demonstrate the merits of my views," he wrote.

"You are a coward," he assessed. "Very truly yours, Brad Sherman."

Limbaugh has yet to respond, said a spokesman for Sherman. Limbaugh's producer, Kit Carson, told the Huffington Post he hadn't seen the letter, but that he couldn't speak for Limbaugh. The radio talk-show host, who Democrats portray as the leader of the GOP, is taking the next two days off, said Carson, and will return Monday.