Limbaugh Compares Wounded Veteran to Suicide Bomber

Where are the VSO's???

Rush Limbaugh, an expert at hate speech and half truths, is now comparing veterans who oppose him to suicide bombers. First, Rush called soldiers who oppose his view "phony soldiers" and now lies about it. Now he is comparing our combat wounded to suicide bombers. A soldier dared challenge Rush in an advertisement and Rush counters by comparing the soldier to the bomber. To quote Bob Dole: "Where were the VSO's?" Senator Dole was talking about the American Legion's and other veteran service organizations' failure to identify the problems at Walter Reed. But his quote serves just as well to ask why the American Legion and the rest are silent while Rush calls troops phonies and now compares them to suicide bombers.

The soldier, Brian McGough, said: "Rush, the shrapnel I took to my head was real. My traumatic brain injury was real. And, my belief that we are on the wrong course in Iraq is real. Until you have the guts to call me a "phony soldier" to my face, stop telling lies about my service." This was in response to Limbaugh's "phony soldier" comment.

Rush's response? Horrendously, Rush compared this soldier, Brian McGough, who was seriously wounded by shrapnel, to a suicide bomber and then insulted the intelligence of that soldier. Limbaugh actually said:

"He discusses his service in Iraq, the wounds he suffered there, and he says to me in this ad, "Until you have the guts to call me a 'phony soldier' to my face, stop telling lies about my service." You know, this is such a blatant use of a valiant combat veteran, lying to him about what I said, then strapping those lies to his belt, sending him out via the media in a TV ad to walk into as many people as he can walk into."

Rush made a career of insulting military service from Max Cleland to Jack Murtha to Brian McGough. Limbaugh reached the point where he thinks nothing of insulting any military person who opposes him. He went too far with his "phony soldier" remark and he went WAY over the top when he compared a combat wounded soldier to a suicide bomber. As I write this, I hear Rush demanding Senator Reid come on his show and defend Senator Reid's remarks concerning Rush on the Senate floor. Well Rush Limbaugh, let Brian McGough come on your show and other similar veterans and talk with them first. Implying someone is a suicide bomber is not funny or humorous. To compare a wounded veteran in a war with suicide bombers is simply cruel.

To the American Legion and the other veteran service organizations where are you and why are you not speaking out and condemning Rush? Could it be because Rush is a mouthpiece for the failed Bush Regime?

Follow Hal Donahue on Twitter: www.twitter.com/haldonahue

Comments

[OckhamsElectricRazor]

So your answer to Rush is to give him a headline???! You, Faux News Hound, you...

[Tiny68300]

I am thoroughly appalled at the naivety of liberal readers of this post, and especially at the way the HUFFPOST and MEDIA MATTERS are willing to leave truth twisting in the wind.

Didn't care for the reaction to Petraus/Betray US? Then don't engage in such BFS!

I don't like Rush anymore than the rest of you, but I have come to absolutely despise your willingness to speak truth, half-truth, and outright lies in the same blog.

[mae692]

'splain it to me. What part of 'phoney soldiers' don't you understand?

[Tiny68300]

Happy to 'splain. Any remark taken out of the original context and put into another context loses its meaning. Without the real context, no sound bite like "phony soldiers" has any meaning.

Having read the transcript, I understand, within the context of the discussion, that Rush was referring to Jesse MacBeth and others who have claimed to be veterans of Iraq, and spoke out against the war. "Phony soldiers" in this context means just that, these so-called soldiers were phony. Phony as in not real, no relation to reality, truth need not apply.

In the context of the event, I am pretty sure Rush was not calling real, actual soldiers who speak out "phony."

In the context of Dems and the left smarting over the Move.On fiasco, I understand the desire to take revenge. I don't understand how it's correct to resort to mixing truth and lies to get the desired result, no matter the context.

[JimR]

Why does anybody still get all worked up over anything Rush says? It's like getting angry at a dog for pooping. Dogs poop, that's what they do.
Rush, same thing, it just comes out a different orifice.

I think a far more effective response would be for all of us to just roll our eyes, say "oh, that Rush!" and treat him like the clown he is.

[enoughalready]

Normally I just say oh that's Rush and ignore the comments but he is broadcast to our troops in Iraq. Can you imagine what an elisted soldier thinks when he hears Rush calls a soldier that disagrees with Bush's Iraq war, a phoney soldier? The bloods not phoney, folks!

The boots on the ground always get the dirt and it's time Congress start standing up and saying enough is enough.

[JessWonderin]

Actually Rush EDITED the statement on the Armed Forces Broadcast . . . your tax dollars at work - so now he compares a wounded vet to a suicide bomber with "lies strapped to his body"

SSgt McGough is on Kieths right now and would love to visit the Limpball Show - he stands by his statement and believes in what he said. And in the words of the Decider Guy thinks Rush is "disgusting".

[JimR]

Shouldn't that be up to the troops to decide? There are soldiers who are fans of Rush. Why, I don't know, but there are.

I would prefer for Congress to spend most of their time on finding ways to get us out of Iraq.

[RabbiOmar]

Rush Limbaugh denies that his addiction to oxycontin caused his loss of hearing despite medical evidence showing otherwise. This mass of protoplasm is delusional. Because Limbaugh didn't change his behavior, he relapsed in 2003 and faced criminal charges. And today???
My guess is we'll see a new Limbaugh addiction scandal before 1/20/2009.

[HalDonahue]

Now I hear someone from the American Legion was on MSNBC defending Limbaugh. Why doesn't this surprize me? Can anyone confirm this?

[JessWonderin]

YES!!!! ON MSNBC at approx 2PM(?) PST, It was Mr MARK SEAVEY, "Director of the National Legislative Commission of the American Legion, a co-founder of Vets for Freedom (VFF), an organization that contests and condemns the views of Democratic Congressman John P. Murtha, who is calling for the United States to pull troops from Iraq." - SourceWatch

I saw it and was so pissed I sent the following letter to them:

"To the America Legion:

I am a VIET VET and after listening to Mark Seavey on MSNBC this morning (3 Oct) representing the American Legion DEFENDING Rush Limbaugh’s recent attack on American Soldiers, I realize that I was correct years ago when I dismissed your “invitation to join” – you are clearly an organization that DOES NOT support OUR generation of fighting men – you have shown yourselves to be mere political backdrops and photo ops for this Administrations wayward leadership.

Why aren’t you making an issue out of those Minnesota National Guards Troops brought home ONE DAY early to avoid them qualifying for GI BILL EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS??? Is it more important for the leadership of the so-called “American Legion” to defend a Right Wing ideology mouth piece that NEVER SERVED and AVOIDED SERVING his country when he was NEEDED and could prove his own PATROITISM rather than the TRUE troops that serve????? Rush steps through the blood of TRUE patriots on his way to the bank.

Please continue to ignore this Veteran; you do NOT stand for the America I fought for"

[richsmith]

Well done JessWonderlin. That's called activism. Kudos for putting in the effort, and for your comments.

[DC]

Rush is a drug addicted entertainer. He has no position or purpose talking about serious issues.

Real information with real discussion is not part of his radio format. It is a monologue of hate and division.

He does deserve a voice on the public airwaves, but what can I say. Pornography sells so Rush is on the airwaves.

[ATLiberal]

Is it just me, or does it seem that there is a direct correlation between these right wing gasbags like Rush and O'Leilly getting more and more shrill and the ongoing implosion of the Republican Party in general??

[rbenjamin]

Could it be because Rush is a mouthpiece for the failed Bush Regime?

Let me be the first to agree you're on to something.