Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Limbaugh Needs Defending
Limbaugh Needs Defending
Written by Nathan Burchfiel and Monisha Bansal, CNSNews.com Staff Writers
Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) said Tuesday that he introduced a House resolution to support Rush Limbaugh because the conservative talk radio host "needs defending" from Democrats who have introduced resolutions and made statements condemning him for using the words "phony soldiers" on his radio show.
On his Sept. 26 show, Limbaugh used the term "phony soldiers" in setting up a story about Jesse Macbeth, a former soldier who was recently sentenced to five months in prison for obtaining veterans' benefits by falsifying his military records.
Macbeth claimed to have been an Army Ranger with a rank of corporal. He further claimed to have served in Iraq and Afghanistan and became a figure of the anti-war movement when he stated in Internet videos that he witnessed U.S. military atrocities in Iraq. In reality, Macbeth was in the Army only 44 days and never served overseas.
The liberal media group Media Matters for America (which has led a long campaign to have Limbaugh removed from taxpayer-supported Armed Services Radio) accused Limbaugh of referring to all anti-war soldiers as "phony soldiers."
Limbaugh clarified on his radio show that he was referring specifically to Macbeth and others like him.
But Democrats in the House and Senate have criticized Limbaugh and launched efforts to demand apologies and make official condemnations of his comment. On Monday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced he was sending a letter to Clear Channel Communications asking that the broadcasting giant force Limbaugh to apologize.
Also on Monday, Rep. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) introduced a House resolution to support the military and condemn Limbaugh's comments. Udall's resolution prompted Kingston to introduce his own resolution supporting Limbaugh. Cybercast News Service sat down with Kingston Tuesday to discuss the issue.
Written by Nathan Burchfiel and Monisha Bansal, CNSNews.com Staff Writers
Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) said Tuesday that he introduced a House resolution to support Rush Limbaugh because the conservative talk radio host "needs defending" from Democrats who have introduced resolutions and made statements condemning him for using the words "phony soldiers" on his radio show.
On his Sept. 26 show, Limbaugh used the term "phony soldiers" in setting up a story about Jesse Macbeth, a former soldier who was recently sentenced to five months in prison for obtaining veterans' benefits by falsifying his military records.
Macbeth claimed to have been an Army Ranger with a rank of corporal. He further claimed to have served in Iraq and Afghanistan and became a figure of the anti-war movement when he stated in Internet videos that he witnessed U.S. military atrocities in Iraq. In reality, Macbeth was in the Army only 44 days and never served overseas.
The liberal media group Media Matters for America (which has led a long campaign to have Limbaugh removed from taxpayer-supported Armed Services Radio) accused Limbaugh of referring to all anti-war soldiers as "phony soldiers."
Limbaugh clarified on his radio show that he was referring specifically to Macbeth and others like him.
But Democrats in the House and Senate have criticized Limbaugh and launched efforts to demand apologies and make official condemnations of his comment. On Monday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced he was sending a letter to Clear Channel Communications asking that the broadcasting giant force Limbaugh to apologize.
Also on Monday, Rep. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) introduced a House resolution to support the military and condemn Limbaugh's comments. Udall's resolution prompted Kingston to introduce his own resolution supporting Limbaugh. Cybercast News Service sat down with Kingston Tuesday to discuss the issue.
