By Zachary Pleat

Rush: The press is “twisting itself into pretzels” to “deny the reality” of the Fort Hood shootings

Without wasting any time, Rush started off his show today by talking about Bill Clinton, specifically his meeting yesterday with Senate Democrats over lunch. Rush characterized Clinton's comments by saying that he was telling Senate Democrats to just pass whatever they can and amend it year after year.

Next, Rush seemed to be happy that the Associated Press used the word “malaise” in an article on the economy, although he complained that the AP is “still hanging in there” for President Obama and that it's blaming American citizens for their negative feelings about the economy.

Rush then talked about Obama's speech at Fort Hood yesterday, calling it the most “empty” and “meaningless” speech ever. He said that if you didn't know what happened at Fort Hood, you wouldn't know what Obama was talking about. After playing a montage of media figures saying that Obama's speech reminded them of Bill Clinton after Oklahoma City, Rush claimed that the media think tragedies are good for presidents and again said Clinton blamed him for Oklahoma City.

While reading a National Review Online post that postulated that militant opposition to U.S. military operations is mainstream among Muslims, Rush wondered if Obama is just naïve, because he's got to know what jihad is. Rush then delved back into his analysis of Obama's Fort Hood speech, saying it was yet another apology by Obama. Rush returned to the NRO post and repeated his statement from yesterday that shooting suspect Nidal Hasan wasn't under the radar, he was in fact “on stage.”

Next, Rush played a clip of Fox News strategic analyst Ralph Peters demanding that Obama admit that the Fort Hood shooting was an act of terror. Rush said that Obama can't admit it was terrorism because it occurred on his watch.

After playing a clip of “Obama's patron,” Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, talking about the Fort Hood shootings, Rush claimed that Daley is blaming the massacre on America's love of guns. Rush suggested that if they were armed, there may have been less carnage.

Fresh from the first break of his show, Rush said that the press “is twisting itself into pretzels,” doing all it can to “deny the reality” of what happened at Fort Hood.

Rush then mocked the media's concern about the tea-party movement “ginning up violence” against Obama and attacked CNN for airing comments from a Muslim cleric calling Obama a “murderer,” among other things. He then touted himself as a media expert who could explain why CNN had “zero” ratings, but managed to avoid this explanation by going to another “obscene profit break.”

Back from the break, Rush took a caller from Tampa, who urged Rush to suspend his rhetoric for today, Veterans Day, to honor America's veterans. Rush responded by calling him possibly the most ignorant caller ever and launching into a list of his efforts to visit and assist wounded veterans. Rush eventually called him a “doofus” and an “idiot,” and then used the opportunity to again accuse Obama of dithering on Afghanistan and denying the reality of what happened at Fort Hood.

Next, Rush decided to anoint Obama “the Iceman” to introduce a 4-day-old U.K. Telegraph article about how Obama was making Americans “wistful” for George W .Bush. After confessing his ignorance about why Bush was ever called a hothead, Rush claimed that “we wanted hot headedness” after 9-11. Rush again said Obama is “uncomfortable with the concept of victory.” After reading this article, Rush claimed that “you do not understand the ego of this man, the narcissistic ego of this man.”

Rush then explained that speeches won't un-nuke Iran, stop Kim Jong-il, or stop whatever Rush thinks Huge Chavez is planning for Venezuela. Rush shared a New York Times article about the possible waning influence of Obama's speeches and helpfully explained why this was happening:

LIMBAUGH: Cause they are the same thing. The same thing regurgitated over and over and again. We live in an era of divisiveness, we live in an age of cynicism, we live in an age of selfishness. My country sucks. And now that I'm here it's going to get better. And we're going to work hard and we're going to find jobs. These speeches do not inspire anymore.

Coming back from another break, Rush mentioned what he called interesting polling data from Gallup and Rasmussen showing that Republicans are several points ahead in generic congressional ballots. Rush called this unprecedented, because according to him, Republicans never lead in generic polls, and claimed that the whole Obama agenda and the bad economy are moving independents to support Republicans. Rush then returned to Clinton's meeting with Senate Democrats, characterizing it as his instructing them on “how to fly their Zeros straight into our aircraft carriers.”

Rush: “So the It's-Our-Fault Administration continues”

Rush started off the second hour by reading a Pakistani news article on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to Pakistan, concluding the article on Clinton's comments by saying, “So there's -- that's who we are, that's who we have, that's who we have running our country. They're all Alinskyites.”

Next, Rush talked about the possible deployment of additional troops to Afghanistan and complained for a while that Obama has never explained why we are in Afghanistan. Rush used this to repeat his accusation that Obama doesn't care about Afghanistan.

Rush then launched into a long-winded explanation of how Obama has “failed to connect the dots” between problems as various as Iran, missile defense in Europe, jihad and terrorism, and several other subjects that Rush felt like complaining about today. Rush concluded this explanation by claiming that the Obama administration is just sitting around and “hoping for the best.”

Back from another break, Rush mentioned a FoxNews.com story about previous investigations into Hasan to complain that the government failed, yet again. Rush complained that people are worried the right wing will be set off by this, claiming that “we are the enemy,” not Hasan, to the Obama administration.

Rush then joined many other conservative media figures in complaining about Gen. George Casey's comments about diversity in the military and worries about a possible backlash against Muslims in America, declaring, “There aren't any hate crimes. There is no backlash against Muslims in America. Zip, zero, nada.”

Rush then launched into a fairly nonsensical rant, complaining that competition and keeping score are being removed from the military, but that American soldiers are keeping score like this: Islamic terrorists, 13, Fort Hood, 0. Rush emphasized that soldiers everywhere “know it.” Rush then said Obama's comments were “drivel” and complained that Obama went down to Fort Hood and still didn't get it.

Next, Rush again complained that conservatives were being blamed for everything, from 9-11 to Hurricane Katrina to Dr. George Tiller's murder, and that he personally was blamed for Donovan McNabb having a lousy season. Rush then claimed that conservatives are “the Satan” in the liberal “religion” and that conservatives need protection, not Muslims.

Rush then took a caller who compared Hasan to Bill Ayers. Rush joked that they don't yet know if Hasan was a friend of Obama's, and they both jokingly agreed that if he plays his cards right, Hasan too can chair a department at a prestigious university.

Next, Rush had a caller who mentioned her aunt's role in the Manhattan Project and who closed her call by advocating for more nuclear energy. Rush followed this up by reading a New York Times article explaining that some energy in America is being produced from retired Soviet nuclear weapons.

Rush then asserted that a story about blackouts in Venezuela is a “teachable moment” for America. He explained that he focuses on Venezuela because he's afraid America is destined to become Venezuela if “we aren't vigilant.”

Rush then used the mention of an interview David Plouffe had with Chris Matthews, due to his new book, to brag about the New York Times best-seller spots held by conservative books. Rush interrupted the interview with his own laughter, mocking the idea that he had anything to do with Republican congressional candidate Dede Scozzafava dropping out of the race in New York's 23rd District. Unfortunately for Rush, his protestations of innocence in that race are completely undermined by his own words.

Rush finished his second hour by comparing Plouffe's claim that Rush was instrumental in purging Scozzafava from the congressional race to Obama's campaign appearances in New Jersey for incumbent Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine, asking, “Who spent more time campaigning: Barack Obama in New Jersey or me in New York-23? I didn't go there a single day.” Of course, Rush's nationally syndicated program is available six days of the week in that area.

Rush: “If anybody's close to being a teabagger, it's President Clinton”

Back for the third hour, Rush continued his new obsession with Plouffe claiming that Rush was partially responsible for purging Scozzafava and said that Plouffe was really worried that he would purge the Blue Dogs.

Rush then took on Bill Clinton for reportedly referring to tea-party activists as teabaggers:

LIMBAUGH: Folks, we have reached a tipping point in vulgarity. Perhaps. President Clinton has once again demeaned himself by using a phrase describing a perverse sexual act, teabagging, as an attack and slur on Americans he used to lead. We're talking about Americans who do not engage in vulgar sexual acts. As President Clinton has engaged in. If anybody's close to being a teabagger, it's President Clinton.

Rush then referred to Clinton as a “sexual predator” and doubled down on his previous reference to Clinton making the Democrats pilot airplanes into aircraft carriers to say he turned the Democratic Party into the “Kamikaze Party.” Rush then wondered: If Bill Clinton thinks health care reform is such a winner, why pass it now? Why not wait until closer to the next election? Rush then spent some time comparing the current effort to reform America's health care system to what happened under Clinton in the 1990s.

Rush finished this segment by lamenting that Hillary Clinton didn't mention President Reagan in her remarks at the 20th anniversary of the dismantling of the Berlin Wall.

Coming back from the break, Rush proudly hyped an op-ed on the shortage of swine flu vaccinations in his hometown newspaper, ranting that this was proof of government rationing. After a short break, Rush continued to complain about the situation faced by the senior citizen from his hometown, stating that the situation is a “rationed care death panel” under the oversight of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

Rush then spent some time explaining his appearance on Sacramento radio station KFPK, and then treated us to some excerpts from his guest appearance. Rush then teased us by promising he'll provide more excerpts tomorrow, and instead plugged the Heritage Foundation.

Feeling pressed for time in his final segment, Rush just rattled off the headlines of several news stories, and hilariously hyped a story reporting that the melting of Antarctica's ice helps offset global warming while simultaneously claiming that there isn't any melting going on. As good a note as any to end the not-quite 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of the year's The Rush Limbaugh Show.

Zachary Aronow and Kate Conway contributed to this edition of the Limbaugh Wire.

Highlights

LIMBAUGH: The rhetoric of this program is in defense of military personnel killed at Fort Hood and we are talking about a president who either doesn't or refuses to recognize a genuine threat that this country faces, who is dithering in Afghanistan. While three months ago the commander on the ground requested 40,000 more troops the president of the United States made a political calculation, he needed the House to pass his health care bill first before he could send the troops because he didn't want to lose his left-wing base, which is anti-military.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: Barack Obama once said to Harry Reid, “Harry, I've got a gift.” Obama thinks it's his speeches. Obam-- folks, you do not understand the ego of this man, the narcissistic ego of this man. The hardest thing for him to do every day is to turn away from the mirror after he gets dressed.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: In fact -- I've got to find this during the break. There's a story I missed from over the weekend in The New York Times by Peter Baker in which this whole point was made. Mr. President, these speeches are starting to sound tired and the same and -- yeah, yeah, here it is. I just happened to find it. The President whose words once soared. November 8th. Peter Baker. “As the most gifted orator of his generation, President O” -- he's not an orator, he's a teleprompter-reader.

“As the most gifted orator of his generation President Obama finds speech-making perhaps his most potent political tool. It propelled him to national promise in 2004 and the White House in 2008. And whenever he needs to calm economic fears or revive stalled health care legislation he takes to the lectern.” He isn't calming anybody, this is the point. “But the limits of rhetoric were on display last week when the president could not rescue two foundering candidates in governor's races in New Jersey and Virginia. Has Mr. Obama lost his oratorical touch? Is the magic finally beginning to fade? Does the White House rely too heavily on his skills on the stump to advance his priorities? It may be too soon to reach such conclusions. The Democrats who lost last week, after all, had fatal flaws all their own. But the results do suggest that Obama's addresses these days may not resonate quite the way they did. Speeches that once set pulses racing now feel more familiar.”

Cause they are the same thing. The same thing regurgitated over and over and again. We live in an era of divisiveness, we live in an age of cynicism, we live in an age of selfishness. My country sucks. And now that I'm here it's going to get better. And we're going to work hard and we're going to find jobs. These speeches do not inspire anymore.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: “Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has pledged continued pressure on militants along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and noted that the United States bears some responsibility for helping to create terrorists that threaten America and its allies.” So the It's-Our-Fault Administration continues. “Clinton also said in an interview that she's convinced of Pakistan's strong commitment to get rid of terrorists as she recognized that the South Asian nation is responding forcefully to the Taliban threat in areas bordering Afghanistan. The chief U.S. diplomat told popular Charlie Rose TV show that she listened to Pakistani concerns during her recent visit, and in her meetings with the civil society representatives also aired U.S. concerns on some issues including the whereabouts of Al Qaeda leaders. 'Well I did raise that question because I was very willing to hear all the questions and the concerns from the people in the government of Pakistan. There are reasons for their concerns, I mean, we haven't always been the most consistent or understanding partner and ally over the course of our relationship and we do bear some of the responsibility, frankly, for helping to create the very terrorists that we are now all threatened by.' ” Our secretary of State. In Pakistan. Making that statement. So there's -- that's who we are, that's who we have, that's who we have running our country. They're all Alinskyites.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: And General Casey is now the Chief of Staff of the Army and he talked about the diversity in the Army, and oh, how this incident is so -- he said something to the effect that it'd be so bad, it'd be even worse if this incident caused us to lose our diversity in the military. And he went out there and said we're going to do everything we can to make sure there's not a backlash against the Muslim soldiers in our military. Janet Napolitano of the United Arab Emirates says we're gonna do everything we can to make sure there's not a backlash against Muslim-Americans in the United States, and there are statistics and numbers out there. Hate crimes against Muslims are at an all-time low; since 2001, they have plummeted. There aren't any hate crimes. There is no backlash against Muslims in America. Zip, zero, nada.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: I got a quick question here for David Plouffe. He says I'm out there with Sarah Palin purging moderate members from the Republican Party. David Plouffe, a question from me, El Rushbo, the leader of the GOP. Who spent more time campaigning: Barack Obama in New Jersey or me in New York-23? I didn't go there a single day. Obama went to New Jersey three or four times, right? So who's purging what, Mr. Plouffe.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: Folks, we have reached a tipping point in vulgarity. Perhaps. President Clinton has once again demeaned himself by using a phrase describing a perverse sexual act, teabagging, as an attack and slur on Americans he used to lead. We're talking about Americans who do not engage in vulgar sexual acts. As President Clinton has engaged in. If anybody's close to being a teabagger, it's President Clinton.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: Statists sat in there and revised history books to take out all the stuff that the statists didn't want in there. This is exactly what Clinton's doing now. And by the way, ditto Hillary Clinton over there at the Brandenburg Gate. I don't care what your politics, how you can not mention Ronald Reagan, a former president of the United States, who was instrumental in the fall of Soviet Communism, how you can not mention him and still say that you are for a unified America is beyond me. How you can go over there and you can praise the current president who was barely reaching puberty when all that happened and probably regrets that it did. You mention him, you don't mention Thatcher. She's right there just, you know, a couple countries away in Europe. You don't mention Pope John Paul II, who was a huge role in it. You don't do -- these people, folks. They are 1984, they are Saul Alinsky, they're Abbie Hoffman, they are -- they're a 60s radical bunch and they have finally got their arms around this country. And they're going to run it into the ground.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: Now that last column, letter to the editor I read was from the Southeast Missourian today by a senior citizen who lives in my hometown, Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and he's been advised by his doctor to get the swine flu vaccine, and he went in there and the doctor had three vaccines, and the doctor said you've got to call the county health department. Folks, this is a death panel.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: So melting ice caps, which are not melting, but if they do, it's now a good thing. These people are turning themselves into pretzels.