Rush: Americans Would Love the Pres. Bush I've Seen

Photo of Mark Finkelstein.

Americans would love the President Bush that Rush Limbaugh has had a chance to spend time with. That was one of Rush's concluding comments in a unique simulcast of his show that he conducted with Martha MacCallum on Fox News Channel this afternoon from 1:30-2 PM ET.

View video here.

RUSH LIMBAUGH: The president is a fine man, I like him. He's incredibly upbeat. He's so different in person than the guy you see on television.

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Confident. Arrogant. Well, not arrogant. Cocky. He's just a life-of-the-party kind of guy. No deliberate presidential behavior as you see in front of a camera. I was back with him for two hours in August. It was two hours smoking cigars with him at the treaty room at the residence. It was -- he didn't stop talking. He took me around the world. He told me what he faced. What leaders of foreign countries faced. Where we're headed. "I tell these people, the United States is a solution -- it's not their problem." He's bullish on the country. But to your question: he's not "a conservative," so he's not leading an ideological movement. He is a Republican. A conservative would not have come in with a new tone and let Ted Kennedy write the education bill, for example. But he thought he had to work with Democrats because the Republican margins were so small. But he's not hurting the party.

MARTHA MACCALLUM: You say he's so different when you're with him off-camera. Does that frustrate you? Do you say to him: "this is the message that you need to be communicating to the American people?"

RUSH: I would never. No, no, no. I would never presume to tell --

MACCALLUM: But does that frustrate you as an observer because it --

RUSH: Yes it does, because I think the country would love him. He's such an engaging, charismatic, laughing, smiling -- he was this way when I first met him when he owned the Texas Rangers. And, he's, the country would love him. I would love for him to be able to do this."

In addition to eliciting Rush's views on the politics of the day, MacCullum had the moxie to ask whether some of his trademark lines, such as "talent on loan from God," aren't pompous. Rush acknowledged that there's a showbiz component to what he does, said that doesn't believe in false humility and takes criticism of himself from certain people "as a measure of success."

MacCullum also raised Rush's experience in rehab. Said Rush: "my life has been totally changed. It has never been better since I - those five weeks, at a place in Arizona, were among the most valuable five weeks of my life." Asked how, in contrast with some others in rehab with him, he's managed to avoid a relapse, Rush twice mentioned that he totally bought into the program. He also pointed out that he had developed a relatively short-term medically-related addiction in contrast with some there who had been addicted for decades.

Rush closed by assuring the audience in his trademark style that he had no plans to stop working anytime soon. "I am not retiring until every American agrees with me, and there's some work still to be done on that."

—Mark Finkelstein is a NewsBusters contributing editor and host of Right Angle. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net.


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Oh Martha, nice try

I listened to this and it seemed she was trying to find fault with Rush, but she was out of her league.  First with the pompous thing, anyone who listens(apparently not her) knows what he's saying.  I think the -ett ending to her title is well deserved.  She never even got to bat.

FoxFan, I really didn't take

FoxFan, I really didn't take Martha's comments that way. I think that she was actually very gracious with Rush, but felt a journalistic duty to raise on or two challenging questions.

I agree with

I agree with Mark.

 

 

Journalistic duty

Something I'm not used to when they interview a democrat.  It's normal for them to gush over the person, BUT I would not have not liked it if she did it to Rush. I guess I'm just jaded when it comes to the media Mark.

MacCallum

Indeed, I liked Martha's questions.  I think that she sincerely asked them because she knew that not every viewer of her program listened to Rush for various reasons (not every conservative listens to Rush).   

Res tantum valet quantum vendi potest.

Sincere

I think Martha was sincere and utterly thrilled to be there.

As I was to see her

As I was to see her there.  She's yummy.  Brightened up his whole studio.

Forget 911, I dial 10MM.

I wish she would have asked

I wish she would have asked Rush about DePalma's "piece of work" Redacted, and what he thought about DePalma crafting and naming one of the "evil" Marine's "Rush" ...

But then, Limbaugh might not have wanted to give the flick anymore free publicity than it's already gotten.

I thoroughly enjoyed this

I thoroughly enjoyed this today....this isn't the first time I have heard that the President is a lot different when in private, which for me is frustrating at times...anyway it is what it is....my favorite part was Rush's last sentiment though....

"I am not retiring until every American agrees with me, and there's some work still to be done on that."

I ditto that...and kudos to El Rushbo, Fox and Martha today.

At the mic

"I am not retiring until every American agrees with me, and there's some work still to be done on that." -Rush

 Good old Rush will die at the mic before that happens. Or is this his plan for eternal life?

Good Therapy

 Loved that comment too Forever,

I saved the video clip so that just in case I'm flipping thru the channels and get Hardball (Matthews mental illness) for more than 5 seconds, I'll have something to rinse my brain out with.

 Rovin

Just Like Rush's Talent

 . . . . . life is only on loan from God.

Nice to see El Rushbo

Nice to see El Rushbo interviewed. Now, someone ought to inerview the leader of our Savage Nation.

Quo usque tandem abutere, Catilina, patientia nostra? Quam diu etiam furor iste tuus nos eludet?

Why on earth interview Rush Limbaugh

Catchy anti Rush headline, but this is why you interview Rush Limbaugh, because people want to hear someone actually who has something intelligent to say who is successful.

The interview like all with Limbaugh failed, because they look at dope and Rush's self destructive behaviors which manifest instead of getting him to talk about Pop. His grandfather was an outstanding citizen of profound thought and Limbaugh's dad was an American hero.
If interviewers would get that point that all people speak the most when they are speaking from their emotional passions.......then you get a great interview.

I agree, get Michael Savage on air, Joseph Farah, Chuck Norris......there are a great deal of very successful and good Americans to put on air which Americans crave to see instead of this continuous trash of Jimmy Kimmel.

Rush Limbaugh is the greatest manipulative (positive way in being prepared and carrying out his vision) personality in the history of media. His operation is phenominal. He is the Mike Deaver of talk radio.

 

*HIC IACET ARTORIVS REX QVONDAM REXQVE FVTVRVS

<3 Rush. I'm a Rush baby

<3 Rush.

I'm a Rush baby btw :)

The Rocky Mountain Collegian: Illustrating Idiocy

Someone needs to invent a

Someone needs to invent a new slang term for "too much info."

TMI

TMI

Mr. Shy has a big crush on

Mr. Shy has a big crush on Martha MacCallum... and a lower-grade one on another Fox-y that sometimes does Fox & Friends.

Not exactly on-topic, I know, but I had to share.

As for Rush, I need to tune him in more.

 

"MY end justifies THAT mean." - Shakespeare (not really)

Gosh

And to think that I would have assumed that Rush would reveal that Bush was a total A-hole in private.

/sarc

Rush

I hope Rush is reading this and understands how much his devoted fans and admirers would love to see this on at least a weekly basis.

I never turn the TV on in the daytime unless its an emergency or a national event of great significance . But I would love to see a weekly simulcast from the EIB studio. I also think Fox would get a big boost from such a program. Their programming changes are visually superficial and slanted toward attractive women reading the news. I don't see that as making the coverage more important, just more digestable .

Come on Rush . Give us some daytime TV worth watching.

Radio vs. TV

Limbaugh is a radio guy first, second, third, fourth...

If you have listened to his program whenever callers ask him when he is going to have another TV show, he will always point out what a hassle it is for him.  "I never have had a meeting for my radio program!" he'll proudly say, but he'll go on and on about the meetings he has to have just for, say, 30 minutes of television.  (For one example.)   

Their programming changes are...slanted toward attractive women reading the news.  As a single guy, there is NOTHING wrong with that.  At all. 

Res tantum valet quantum vendi potest.

i thought it was an excellent interview

i listened to it live on the radio yesterday and mccallum was very engaging ... one could tell that rush took to her and was very candid in his reponses. i thought she handled the questions about his dependency very directly and rush opened up to her. i though it was a fair interview ... she didn't throw softballs and she didn't throw stones.