Update on "What Rush Limbaugh actually said and did (Part 1)"

At the end of the previous post, I said that I was unaware of Limbaugh making any statement along the lines that that those who have actually served or are currently serving in Iraq who have criticized the war are not in his mind phony soldiers. I began working on that post October 4, and I was unaware until late last night of what transpired on Limbaugh's show on October 4. The short story is that Limbaugh said some things along those lines.

He made those comments as part of a response to criticism of something else he had said about an ad done by VoteVets.org featuring a veteran named Brian McGough. Limbaugh compared McGough to a suicide bomber, and his basic response was that he did not call McGough a suicide bomber because he did not use the words "suicide bomber." If you doubt that, just note that the title given the transcript on Rush's own website is "Rush Never Said 'Suicide Bomber.'" I still plan on discussing in more detail that ad and what Rush said about McGough in a separate post, but for now here's what Rush said initially about McGough:

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 and a TV ad to walk into as many people as he can walk into.

Sure, Rush...you never called him a suicide bomber.

Anyway, here's some of what Limbaugh said on October 4 which qualifies as the sort of statement I referenced at the start of this post:

This man will always be a hero to this country with everyone.

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I didn't call anybody who legitimately serves a phony soldier. I didn't call this guy a suicide bomber.

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Brian, let me try this again. Mr. McGough, I admire you for your service. I admire anyone and everyone who volunteers to serve in the United States military in this country, always have. I'm grateful to you for your service. And that, Brian, is an unqualified thank you, whether or not you support the war or the surge, President Bush, or not. But, Brian, there are phony soldiers. You aren't one, Brian McGough is not a phony soldier and I never called you a phony soldier.

*******

There are lots of phony soldiers out there, Brian, but I never called you one, not calling you one now, never would call you one...I never implied, never said that you, Brian McGough, or any of your group, were phonies.

I will give Rush credit, but not full credit. To say that he never implied that McGough or anyone at VoteVets.org was not a phony soldier is wrong. His statements up to October 4 were never so clear as to leave no doubt as to his intention and meaning. [NOTE: What follows is an addition to this post made on October 12.] Furthermore, an implication can be found in the context of what the caller said and what Limbaugh then did not say. Specifically, here's the pertinent portion of the transcript:

CALLER 2: Yeah, and, you know what --

LIMBAUGH: "Save the -- keep the troops safe" or whatever. I -- it's not possible, intellectually, to follow these people.

CALLER 2: 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: The phony soldiers.

CALLER 2: The phony soldiers. If you talk to a real soldier, they are proud to serve. They want to be over in Iraq. They understand their sacrifice, and they're willing to sacrifice for their country.

It is reasonable to find that the caller implied that no "real soldiers" ever talk to the media and that those who do suddenly talk to the media are not "real soldiers." It is thus reasonable to find that the caller considered veterans or active duty personnel who criticize the war in the media not to be "real soldiers." And it is reasonable to find that when the caller used the term "phony soldiers," he was referring to the same people he considered not to be "real soldiers." Did Limbaugh say anything to dispel such implication? No. One would think that somebody that talks about how much he respects and supports the troops would have recognized the implication and the possibility of misinterpretation and done something to dispel any erroneous notions. Instead, Limbaugh did nothing. You would think that someone who talks about how much he respects and supports the troops would have made a point of saying that when he started talking about Jesse MacBeth, it was only to Mac Beth that he was referring when he used the term "phony soldiers." Instead, Limbaugh did nothing.

And the caller's comments and Limbaugh's lack of clarification raise another question, namely just who are "real" soldiers in the context of that conversation? Are only combat troops "real" soldiers? What about those that serve in support and logistical roles that don't go into combat but are nonetheless present in or near combat theaters? What about active duty personnel that are not in Iraq? Those answers are not readily apparent in that conversation, which is important because what I am addressing at this moment is what Limbaugh might have implied before October 4.

And if Limbaugh simply made an innocent oversight in failing to clarify matters as suggested in the previous paragraph, then [end of October 12 addition] why did it take him eight days to say things that he could have said on October 27? Note that much of what Limbaugh said was directed at McGough, and even the things that could be applied in a broader sense were prompted by what McGough had said. Why, then, did Limbaugh wait to say anything along these lines until Brian McGough came forward? My point is that Limbaugh could have said these things on September 27. If they reflect how he truly feels--and he certainly at the least implies that they do--those feelings did not just suddenly form after Brian McGough made his commercial.

And so I go back to how I concluded the previous post...