By Mark Baumgardner, Columnist

“I’ve often said throughout the 15 years that I’ve been here, that you people have made my life an adult Christmas every day. Every morning is an adult Christmas, and it’s still the same. Still got up today, couldn’t wait to get in here, couldn’t wait to start the routine, couldn’t wait to start the show prep.” — Rush Limbaugh, Oct. 3, 2003

One has to wonder how Rush Limbaugh maintains such a positive attitude toward life amidst the tribulations facing him.
Eight days ago, while commenting on Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, Limbaugh made the fatal mistake of speaking truthfully about the political correctness that has seeped into the National Football League and the mainstream media.
“I think what we’ve had here is a little social concern in the NFL,” Limbaugh said. “The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well. There is a little hope invested in McNabb, and he got a lot of credit for the performance of this team that he didn’t deserve.”
ESPN Sunday NFL Countdown commentators Chris Berman, Steve Young, Tom Jackson and Michael Irvin said little about Limbaugh’s statement other than a few generic comments about McNabb’s playmaking ability. Then, discussion over Limbaugh’s comments ceased — or so it seemed.
By Tuesday, the Philadelphia media resurrected discussion of Limbaugh’s remarks. By Wednesday, Limbaugh resigned his position on Sunday NFL Countdown.
His comments sparked discussion among journalists nationwide, both in and outside the realm of sports. For example, here in Wisconsin, Eugene Kane, a columnist for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, used the opportunity to call Limbaugh a “big fat idiot” (hardly original). Kane also complained that Limbaugh’s presence on Sunday NFL Countdown ruined his football Sundays.
Kane is only one example of journalists who loathed Limbaugh and recognized the current situation as an opportunity. Kane opposed Limbaugh’s efforts to expand his success beyond his radio show from the beginning and, for that matter, opposed Limbaugh’s success entirely.
Approximately three years ago, Limbaugh’s name surfaced as a possible commentator on ABC’s Monday Night Football. At that time, Kane wrote, “Putting Limbaugh in that spot would be a slap in the face of many loyal black viewers, most of whom have no use for Limbaugh’s anti-affirmative action, anti-civil rights, anti-any-form-of-meaningful-diversity stance.” Kane judged Limbaugh long ago as a bigot, and this story provided Kane another occasion to make his argument.

Attempting to add insult to injury, the National Enquirer decided the timing was ripe to break their story on Limbaugh’s prescription drug use. They claim that Limbaugh “has been secretly battling addiction to narcotics — and he’s embroiled in a high priority drug-ring investigation … ”
The only named sources in the Enquirer were former Limbaugh housekeeper Wilma Cline and her husband David. While vague references to unnamed sources are typical at the Enquirer, the New York Daily News and other mainstream press outlets, which first broke the story, also failed to name any law-enforcement sources. In fact, the New York Daily News used the Enquirer story as their major source of information.
Wilma Cline, who, according to Fox News, was paid six figures for her story, claims that she notified authorities in summer 2002. Fox News also reports that authorities uncovered clues last May that indicated Limbaugh might have been purchasing prescription drugs illegally.
Clearly, evidence indicates the availability of this story to the press, legitimate or otherwise, long before last week. Radio host and cyber journalist Matt Drudge reports that the Enquirer held the story for two years. According to Drudge, the Enquirer’s editors felt more confident about the story after police began an investigation.

However, recently the Enquirer staff has not concerned themselves with obtaining facts in police investigations. Two years ago, the Enquirer cited unnamed police sources in a story accusing Carolyn Condit, wife of former congressman Gary Condit, of verbally attacking intern Chandra Levy days before her disappearance. This past summer, the Enquirer settled a $10 million libel lawsuit they faced after Washington, D.C., police stated that there was no truth to the story.

Syndicated columnist Brent Bozell argues that Limbaugh faces extra scrutiny because liberals are tolerated among sports journalists while conservatives are not. Limbaugh, however, argues that it is more than that. “Had what I said been said by anybody else — Sean Hannity could have said it, and it would not have been, it wouldn’t have even gotten noticed. It wouldn’t have gotten scant attention,” Limbaugh said.

In short, Limbaugh faces extra scrutiny, not because he is conservative, but because he is an extremely successful conservative. He has overcome numerous obstacles, including complete hearing loss, to get where he is. Perhaps that is why liberals despise him so much. As Limbaugh faces his problems, his success continues, and his smiles keep coming. So far, this latest obstacle has been no exception.

Mark Baumgardner ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in electrical engineering.