Rush Limbaugh Endorses Hosni Mubarak’s Dictatorship

I’ve given up trying to figure out if Rush Limbaugh actually believes what he says, or if he’s just a 21st Century political P.T. Barnum selling the crowd what they want to hear while the dollars roll in. It really doesn’t matter anymore.

But today, he reached a new level of mendacity when he suggested conservatives “root for” Hosni Mubarak:

This is what passes for serious foreign policy analysis on the American right anymore?

FILED UNDER: Middle East, US Politics, World Politics, , ,
Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Comments

  1. Patrick T. McGuire says:

    If you listened to him on a regular basis you wouldn’t have any difficulty in understanding him.

  2. I used to Patrick but I gave up. I prefer more rational discussion

  3. Jeff says:

    so who do you listen to now ? Biden maybe ?

    http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2011/01/vp-biden-calls-egyptian-president-mubarak-an-ally-and-would-not-call-him-a-dictator.html

    is that what passes for serious foreign policy analysis at the White House ?

    how about some good ‘ole Beck bashing …

    come on, there must be some great stuff to link to at HuffPo and Kos …

  4. Jeff says:

    I have to assume this post is an example your foregin policy analysis ?

  5. Jeff says:

    I’m sorry but Media Matters ? really, you want to link to them ? are you Soros funded as well ?

    how about you do your own leg work … otherwise we could just read MM and ignore you …

  6. Gerry W. says:

    To dig deeper. Limbaugh says we need to support Mubarak for “our” interest. And yes we have seen this time and time again. We supported the Shah of Iran for cheap oil and not for some cleric. But in the end, the people of those countries turn against us as the kings, shahs, and presidents turn against their own people. No wonder they hate us.

  7. Ernieyeball says:

    I listened to Brush Lintoff in his early days of national syndication. On one broadcast he claimed he had voted in NY State elections. A caller got through who challenged the Mouth. Apparently in NY (as in Illinois where I live) electors sign a card when they vote to prevent them from casting more than one ballot. Turns out that card is a matter of public record! The caller had verified that there was no signature on The Big Man’s card. Proof positive that he had not voted. “What, you have to sign a card when you vote in NY?” He could not deny his bald faced lie!
    Later someone wanted to start a broadcast called “After the Rush Hour” to talk about what the Dittoheads were being fed. Mr. Free Speech sued them for using his name! He won! No alternate opinions allowed.
    I will give him credit for taking control of his life with a diet that slimmed him down for awhile. However I find it curious he could not shed pounds when he was eligible for the draft.

  8. Steven Plunk says:

    The issue of whether or not we should support Mubarak is debatable. He’s no saint but the alternatives we could be facing could be much worse for us and for the Egyptians. I think many Iranians would agree. Either way it goes an orderly transition would be best. Rooting for chaos is in no one’s interest.

    If certain people prefer more rational discussion then I would suggest not linking to the irrational and instead link to the people who might some insights and analysis.

  9. Smooth Jazz says:

    “come on, there must be some great stuff to link to at HuffPo and Kos …”

    Can you believe this guy Doug; He claims he is not a Liberal but he spends most of his posts bashing Repubs and now he is linking to Media Matters. Media Matters!!! Duh!! His favorite pollster of reference appears to be DailyKOS/PPP. Most of the commenters on his blog posts are far left whackjobs who would be right at home at left wing hate sites such as TBogg & Dem Underground.

    The other day, the guy was putting up post after post saying Obama was flying high and was a near certainty for relection based on Dem tilted polls such as NBC/MSNBC, Wash Post/ABC etc. Now that his approval ratings in the Gallup daily tracking poll is back in the mid 40s, this guy Doug is eeerily quiet on that, since it isn’t confirming the left wing themes he has been pushing of late.

  10. G.A.Phillips says:

    That pic makes Rush look scary, good job…….

  11. wr says:

    Here’s how insane the dittoheads are — Doug posts an unedited bit of Rush Limbaugh saying something typically vile on his radio show. But because he obtained it from a website that isn’t officially Rush-approved, Doug is a commie liberal pinko.

    Because of course it’s never right to quote Rush. All true acolytes know you have to listen to every second of the show for six months in order to understand.

    Muslim radicals don’t have such strict rules about how to read the Koran…

    Oh, but Smoothie isn’t a right-winger, or a Palinite, I forgot. He just likes to stick up for fairness!

  12. john personna says:

    I actually tried listening today. The 3 minutes I got where so phenomenally boring that I switched to marginally less boring classic rock. And then I turned the radio off and watched the hills roll by.

  13. bains says:

    Doug, given the photo you chose to highlight your post, in addition to most everything you have posted here, it is fairly evident to me that you are predisposed to dislike anything Rush says, uncritically listen to every and all commenters who share your dislike, and willingly parrot their clipped, out of context soundbites. Facts be damned if it fits your predetermined narrative eh?

  14. Ben Wolf says:

    Bains,

    Doug said he finds Limbaugh’s understanding of foreign policy to be poor. What fact is he ignoring?

  15. wr says:

    Wow. Now you even have to post the appropriately worshipful picture of Rush, or you’re scum. Jesus doesn’t get this kind of treatment.

  16. bains says:

    Doug said he finds Limbaugh’s understanding of foreign policy to be poor. What fact is he ignoring?

    The fact that Doug is is ignoring the context from which that quote was pulled.

    @wr Not worship, recognition. Worship is what the cult of Obama demands, and bleating supplicants seek to foist.

  17. Patrick T. McGuire says:

    “Muslim radicals don’t have such strict rules about how to read the Koran…”

    Actually, they do. Not that it is in any way relevant to anything.

  18. anjin-san says:

    > Worship is what the cult of Obama demands, and bleating supplicants seek to foist.

    Please tell us you are not as stupid as this statement makes you sound.

    > Actually, they do

    Do share.

  19. Davebo says:

    Rush Limbaugh is the political equivalent of Professional Wrestling.

    Like the WWF, he knows his product is BS. And like the WWF there are a lot of people out there that believe it’s real.

    Heck, just look at those rushing to defend the anal cyst here!

  20. Bleev K says:

    G.A.Phillips says:
    Friday, February 4, 2011 at 19:35
    That pic makes Rush look scary, good job…….

    You scared kiddo?

  21. G.A.Phillips says:

    ***You scared kiddo?***lol…..of what? Don’t fear nothing but the wrath of God these days, and for many of you folks not myself, well..lol…..

    I was just messing with Doug if you really want to know, nothing more nothing less….

    I destroy a liberals crapy a$$ backwards worldview, piss poor logic and total lack of histoical context here and there, but mostly I just try to type something short and stupid for fun and to get some to think.

    Bleev.

  22. Alex says:

    hey gerry you come up with that daunting foreign policy analysis after reading a new york times article this week?

  23. Gerry W. says:

    Didn’t have to read any article. It always adds up. We support dictators for “our own” interest and not for the population in those countries. Almost all those dictators goes against their people. None of it is a perfect science, just saying what it is.

  24. Rush Limbaught? says:

    Is this that show that makes people stupid? You can like tune in and listen to people with no backbone get lied to? I hate that show. It’s clearly for making poor morons think they have something in common with rich assholes. Why would anyone listen to this show? What’s the point in living in a free country if you’re just going to listen to Rush Limbaught?

  25. Limbaugh and Pro Wrestling... says:

    “Rush Limbaugh is the political equivalent of Professional Wrestling.”

    They’re both intended for pre-pubescent boys.

  26. Rob in CT says:

    Classic. Criticize Rush and several fans jump in to defend. But not one of these defenses actually make an argument of any kind. It’s just “why are you siding with the libruls you traitor!?” stuff. I guess that’s ok, because we all know what the argument is, every time: “it’s parody, you fools! You’re just too dumb or too librul (but I repeat myself, yuck yuck) to understand!”

    And Doug, Limbaugh has made it perfectly clear that he doesn’t believe all that he says on his show (or even most of it… or possibly ANY of it). He has a successful business model and he’s milking it for all its worth. This is true to an extent of any pundit – they make their living spouting stuff on TV, radio, wherever. Limbaugh is just the best/worst (depending on how you see it) at it. His method is simple: say outrageous things and get anyone other than his hardcore base upset (liberals mostly, but also non-liberals with functioning frontal lobes) and then sit back and enjoy the firestorm, which he can then stoke.

    For the record, I heard a lot of Limbaugh back in the 90s. My dad used to have him on the radio every day when I got home from highschool. It’s funny… now Dad will vehemently deny he listens to Limbaugh (present tense true, since he no longer does) and appears to have forgotten how much he listened to him during the Clinton era. And Dad’s a well-educated, cosmopolitan Brit. His conservatism is that of a Tory. Yet even he listened to Rushbo for years. People LIKE having their biases confirmed. Some (and I’m not trying to pin this on conservatives!) like being in a bubble wherein their biases are continually confirmed and *never* challenged (or, if challenged, only challenged by the very weakest opposing arguments). Rush provides that, day in & day out. Ah, how I remember the steady drumbeat of how awful/stupid/tricksey the libruls are, coupled with nasty asides about the Clinton monster, amid the cutting-off and belittling of any callers who disagreed. It makes me all warm and fuzzy…

  27. William Glines says:

    Limbaugh merely expresses the ultra right-wing approach to foreign policy. Democracy is fine for us, but not for the rest of the world if it jeopardizes profitability for American Corporations. He has characterized the protesters as leftists, socialists etc. No kidding. When you remove a right-wing dictater, you have no where else to go but to the left.