Rush Limbaugh and the “Phoney Soldiers” A Liberal supports him for once

I have never been a fan of Rush Limbaugh, either as a talk show host or as a political view-holder.  so I’m surprised to find myself, in this particular case, actually defending him. 

The issue is around a term he used during a call in on his show, “phoney soldiers”.  A website just this statement and began a campaign against him, which was taken up on Capitol Hill.  However, that website apparently deliberately ignored the context for the statement, which was clarified a few minutes later.    In short, Limbaugh was unquestionably referring not to all soldiers who disagree with the war, but specifically to those soldiers who, as confirmed by previous news stories, have lied about the degree of their war participation.  One in particular claimed to see terrible atrocities in Iraq commited by U.S. Soldiers, and then was later proven to have never participated in any active duty. 

I don’t like Rush, but I find myself disappointed in “my own side”, for jumping so strongly on only half of the truth, thereby completely misrepresenting what Rush was talking about.

 If you want to attack an opponent, at least try to do a better job finding an authentic, actual issue.  Limbaugh has probably offered several of them.  But to attack an opponent on a false, misrepresented issue, in the long run does more damage to you and your own credibility and judgement.