Even more than his political philosophy, Rush Limbaugh's personal life sometimes seems to drive enemies particularly batty. That's especially true when it comes to dating women.
Apparently, it's not enough for Rush to merely be wrong on the issues, he must also be so grotesque that no self- respecting gal would dare to be seen anywhere near the talk titan. As a result, anyone linked romantically with him must surely be nuts, right?
In one way, perhaps a women dating Rush would be forced to question her sanity, as being torn to shreds by the mainstream media is certain to follow. Remember Daryn Kagan?
That history may help to explain why 24 actress Mary Lynn Rajskub has been so quick to distance herself from El Rushbo. From Page Six:
ACTRESS Mary Lynn Rajskub of "24" wants to set the record straight - Rush Limbaugh has not bedded her, nor will he ever.
"Last summer, I was on a panel about terrorism that [he] was moderating," the blonde tells FHM.
"He said hello to everyone and kissed me full on the lips. I was like, 'Oh, that was odd.' Then the picture was on the Internet and people thought I was going out with him. He's brilliant and hilarious, but I wouldn't say I wanted to get it on with him!"
You've got to give Mary Lynn credit for one thing, however: in Hollywood, it takes guts to admit you believe Rush Limbaugh is "brilliant and hilarious". Could that alone cost her a future role or two?
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That liberals have so quickly pounced on Rush Limbaugh over a relatively minor on-air error, could it be a sign his accuracy rate is actually rather high?
Otherwise, would the mainstream media's obvious glee be quite so pronounced? After all, opponents are monitoring every broadcast, waiting in hope for moments like this.
So what was Limbaugh's Colossal Error Of The Century? He incorrectly believed Rep. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) was black.
Stop the presses!
Dog bites man, nobody's perfect. Is this really a big story?
The end result: found to be without merit was his theory about the Democrat's US Senate electoral strategy in Ohio. A single error, is this a big deal for a guy paid to make assertions 15 hours a week?
According to the media, yes. Pouncing on this are newspapers that normally would never cover Limbaugh's political commentary. Wherever they can take a shot, in this case they're adding snide comments and irrelevant comparisons.
That Limbaugh has already admitted his mistake is noted, but doesn't seem to halt the nastiness.
Want examples? We have 'em, first from theContra Costa (CA) Times:
RUSH MAKES ERROR OVER CANDIDATE: Brown is black in the eyes of Rush Limbaugh.
When Iraq war veteran Paul Hackett was forced out of the Democratic primary in the U.S. Senate race in Ohio, the conservative commentator criticized the New York Times for not saying that the Democrats' preferred candidate is black.
Limbaugh later found out from e-mails to his nationally syndicated radio show that the candidate, Rep. Sherrod Brown, is, in fact, white.
"Uh, Sherrod Brown's a white guy? Then I'm confusing him with somebody. OK, I'm sorry," Limbaugh said this week.
Brown is a seven-term congressman and former Ohio secretary of state who is running against GOP Sen. Mike DeWine.
"Rush Limbaugh obviously knows as much about me as the Republicans know about balancing the budget," Brown told the Chronicle-Telegram of Elyria, Ohio, for an article published Friday.
Later in his show, Limbaugh said he kept getting e-mails. "We have corrected this, and I, you know, I'm not gonna apologize because I don't think it's an insult to be black," he said. In 2003, Limbaugh was pushed off ESPN's NFL preview show after he said quarterback Donovan McNabb was overrated because the media wanted to see a black quarterback succeed.
What, pray tell, does that last paragraph have to do with the price of bread? Other than as another instance of Rush talking about ethnicity, it seems irrelevant, doesn't it?
Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh criticized the New York Times for its story last week that the Democratic Party pushed Paul Hackett out of the race to take on Sen. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio. Limbaugh chided the Times for not saying the Dems dumped Hackett because they preferred a black candidate.
Actually party leaders preferred Brown to Hackett, as in Sherrod Brown, a veteran congressman from Northern Ohio. Brown also happens to be white.
Limbaugh corrected himself after his show received several e-mails from people who know a lot more about Ohio politics than he does.
Hey, Jerry Springer knows a great deal about Ohio politics, does that mean we want to listen to him?
Here's the AP story, without the anti-Rush editorial. The Kansas City Star, as well as a number of other papers, ran the version with the McNabb paragraph.
Color commentary just might not be Rush Limbaugh's forte. When Iraq war veteran Paul Hackett was forced out of the Democratic primary in the Senate race in Ohio last week, Limbaugh criticized the New York Times for not saying that the party's preferred candidate is black.
Limbaugh later discovered through listener e-mails to his radio show that the candidate, Rep. Sherrod Brown , is, oops, actually Caucasian.
"Uh, Sherrod Brown's a white guy? Then I'm confusing him with somebody. Okay, I'm sorry," Limbaugh admitted later.
When looking for reasons to pound Limbaugh, if this is the best they can do, I'd say he's still in good shape.
For good measure, the New York Daily Newsthrows in a bit of Limbaugh/Kagan gossip:
GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS First the bad news: I hear that right-wing radio guy Rush Limbaugh and CNN daytime anchor Daryn Kagan — who've been dating for nearly two years — are finally kaput. The good news, of course, is that the fabulous Kagan is back on the market.
With this development, perhaps Kagan will now have an easier time functioning at CNN.
Thanks for your continued Radio Equalizer support, via Amazon orders that begin with clicks here, regardless of what you ultimately order! In the spotlight: Robert Ferrigno's exciting new thriller Prayers for the Assassin: A Novel. Read the transcript of Hugh Hewitt's interview with Ferrigno here.
First Limbaugh picture: AP, Springer: Dave Abel, Ottawa Sun
Anti-O'Reilly Smear Just The Latest Personal Attack
Continuing their long campaign to destroy conservative talkers through sleazy personal attacks, shadowy enemies of Bill O'Reilly have accused him of stinking up a local gym.
Bill O'Reilly is causing yet another stink, but this time it's in the gym. The Faux-news man has relied on one of his minions to wipe the sweat off exercise equipment after he's done.
"It was really disgusting," said a nauseated onlooker. "The poor kid followed him around, just sopping up O'Reilly's body fluids."
But as TVNewser notes, the story appears baseless and the O'Reilly Factor host is not amused:
O'Reilly says he "does not belong to a gym," nor "own gym equipment." An FNC spokesperson confirms that he doesn't go to the company gym, either.
On his show Monday night O'Reilly called out the misreporting of Rush & Malloy.
(Minneapolis City Pages) "He yells, 'Go Al!' and then puts his sweaty towel in his mouth, shakes his head back and forth, and growls like a dog," says Lauren Zeller, a 28-year-old risk consultant. "The cycle repeats: 'Go Al!,' towel, shake head, growl."
In that case, there was no dispute over whether Franken actually worked out there, the room is located inside his condo building.
Don't expect the truth to stop the ongoing campaign to discredit conservative voices through personal smears.
Though Bill could have chosen to ignore the latest slime from his mainstream media enemies, he instead decided to confront it head-on. While that might not always be the best idea, here it did seem to work.
Hey, Joe Media Guy (or Jane Media Gal): are you sure you'd like to be as successful and famous as Rush Limbaugh?
As Rush could probably explain better than anyone else, fame has a price, a pretty big one in the talk titan's case. Imagine having your dating choices scrutinized, even to the point where the women themselves face mainstream media pressure for daring to be seen with the left's archenemy.
Taking it a step further, consider being unable to order a steak dinner with a friend without seeing your tab reproduced in the next day's New York Post:
April 30, 2007 -- RADIO host Rush Limbaugh is far from conservative when it comes to his big appetite. The Post's Braden Keil reports that Limbaugh and a female companion lived large at Kobe Club last Thursday night, devouring bacon with truffles, Japanese strip steak, Kobe beef cheek ravioli, a large seafood platter, a combo of American, Australian and Japanese wagyu steaks and several "side" dishes.
After finishing their $700 feast, Limbaugh left the server a $1,000 tip.
On a previous night, Limbaugh and another female friend were spotted by patrons sharing a $4,000 bottle of wine at '21.'
While we wait to see how giddy Huffington Post- types use this item to further their anti- Rush agenda, there is a bright side: at least he wasn't caught leaving a tiny tip, which would have fueled their fire for months to come.
Even worse, ordering the vegetarian platter or leaving the restaurant in a Subaru could have been damaging to his reputation.
The real beef is this: most people like to go out to relax and have a good time, rather than have every move scrutinized by other patrons and waitstaff. As you shoot your way to the top, it's something to keep in mind.
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After nearly two months, it's truly amazing to see mainstream media types still fixated on the idea that Rush Limbaugh would kiss a Hollywood actress in public. Yet, here it is again, this time via a new piece in Time Magazine:
Last June in Washington, the conservative Heritage Foundation held a forum on terrorism with a panel of august authorities. There was Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff. There was a pair of think-tank terrorism experts. And naturally, there were Chloe, Tony and the evil President from 24.
The panel -- "24 and America's Image in Fighting Terrorism: Fact, Fiction or Does It Matter?" -- was not exactly Foreign Affairs journal material. Moderator Rush Limbaugh planted a full-on mouth kiss on actress Mary Lynn Rajskub (a.k.a. tech geek Chloe), and actors and producers took softball questions as audience members cheered what Limbaugh called the show's "pro-America" stance. (Among the crowd were pundit Laura Ingraham and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.)
The weird spectacle put a point on a raging question in pop culture: Is 24 just a TV show or right-wing propaganda? Or, to turn Jack Bauer's frequent refrain on him: Who are you working for?
Certainly 24, which debuted just weeks after 9/11 and returns Jan. 14, comes as close as anything has to being the Official Cultural Product of the War on Terrorism. Co-creator Joel Surnow is a rare Hollywood Republican, and John McCain has done a cameo.
Dick Cheney is a big fan too, and you can understand the Administration's wanting to associate itself with Bauer's badass competence. (He nabs nuclear masterminds; we get Jose Padilla.) Most damningly to critics on the left, Bauer's means of gathering intel (grab terrorist's finger, snap, repeat) make 24 a weekly rationalization of the "ticking time bomb" defense of torture.
So is 24 a conservative show? Yes, in the sense that the thriller is a conservative genre. Ticking time bombs and pure- evil bad guys make for exciting TV. Working patiently to improve America's image in the Muslim world -- not so much. (Maybe Aaron Sorkin could spice it up with an office romance and lots of walk-and-talks.)
Muddy a terrorism thriller with liberal concern over root causes and you get Syriana, whose plot audiences couldn't follow with a GPS device. "The politics of the show," says executive producer Howard Gordon (a registered Democrat), "are narrative politics."
Sure enough, the story's main focus is a debate over whether 24 is a right- wing show. But why mention Limbaugh's now- infamous kiss yet again?
When it comes to Time, it's safe to assume the worst, so it seems most likely an attempt to prove the popular FOX drama is indeed part of the Vast Right- Wing Conspiracy, even if that stance is hedged later in the piece.
For added smear potential, Dick Cheney is even thrown into the mix, simply because he watches the program! Rounding out those sitting in Dr Evil's secret boardroom are talk host Laura Ingraham (a favorite target of the left these days) and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
Overall, Time has further underscored your Radio Equalizer's previous point:
Even more than his political philosophy, Rush Limbaugh's personal life sometimes seems to drive enemies particularly batty. That's especially true when it comes to dating women.
Apparently, it's not enough for Rush to merely be wrong on the issues, he must also be so grotesque that no self- respecting gal would dare to be seen anywhere near the talk titan. As a result, anyone linked romantically with him must surely be nuts, right?
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After a sloppy attack on conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh and CNN's Daryn Kagan, a liberal "media watchdog" site has taken a major credibility hit.
Gossipy and conspiratorial in nature, the October 6 story at David Brock's Media Matters For America falsely suggested Kagan was sending Limbaugh love notes after a speech by President Bush. Worse, it suggested her relationship with Rush was adversely affecting on-air news judgement.
At least that's how the allegations appear to the Radio Equalizer. It's not entirely clear and we can't seem to find our secret decoder ring. Could swear it was around here somewhere.
Nonetheless, here's an excerpt from the ill-fated Media Matters piece:
On the October 6 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Rush Limbaugh read a "note" that, he said, came from his "mistress in Georgia," an apparent reference to CNN anchor Daryn Kagan.
According to Limbaugh, his "mistress" said of President Bush's October 6 speech on the war on terror, "This is great. This sounds like you wrote this speech. This sounds like you giving this speech." Limbaugh said he agreed: "And I was going, 'Rah, rah. That's exactly right.' "
In his September 3, 2004, "Reliable Source" column in The Washington Post, Richard Leiby reported that a spokesman for Limbaugh confirmed that he "is dating CNN anchor Daryn Kagan."
And a February 21 article in People magazine noted that "Kagan's romance with ... Limbaugh is getting serious."
Kagan, who is based at CNN's headquarters in Atlanta, is the anchor of CNN Live Today, a news show that airs weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET and that carried Bush's speech live.
Shortly after Bush concluded his speech, Kagan introduced CNN national security correspondent David Ensor, whom she called "our CNN fact-checker."
While noting that Bush "had promised some unprecedented details," which, she suggested, he did not provide, she then made a statement in Bush's defense when Ensor suggested that reporters would be looking for corroboration of Bush's assertion that "the United States and our partners have disrupted at least 10 serious Al Qaeda terrorist plots since September 11th, including three Al Qaeda plots to attack inside the United States"
Rambling on from here, one expects a black helicopter to appear at any moment.
After seeing the piece, CNN issued a statement, alerting Media Matters to their foul-up: Limbaugh's "mistress" comments were part of an ongoing series of gags, where a lover is safely tucked away in each state.
While the site did note CNN's objection, it stopped well short of admitting a mistake. Funnier were the responses from tinfoil hat-wearing comment posters.
And TVNewserfelt Brock's site had "jumped the gun".
The left's vindictiveness is no surprise to those of us who cover their moves on a regular basis. Killing the messenger is all in a day's work. Now, Kagan is on the target list, simply for associating with Limbaugh.
In addition, CNN for the first time becomes suspect for lefties, simply because of politically incorrect dating decisions.
Isn't it hilarious to see the same liberals who regularly attack conservative-cited sources using People Magazine to make their case? Recently, other lefties have been singing the praises of sleazy tabloids that assert Bush has resumed consuming alcohol.
Especially alarming for Media Matters: with a surprisingly large staff on board, there wasn't anybody around to check the facts before running with it. Or, perhaps they simply don't care about credibility?
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Far from being new to this destructive game, Reid polished his censorship craft while a little- known Nevada senator, long before he would rise to the national stage as majority leader. From talk radio to grassroots political organizations, Mr Searchlight has always been known in the Silver State for his thin- skin and thuggish, mob- inspired antics.
How does your Radio Equalizer know this? From having once been a target of Reid's Hugo Chavez- like zeal for media control.
In 1998, the Las Vegas Review- Journal reported on Reid's attempt to sue yours truly right off the airwaves. Had a move out of state not already been in the works to join a new station, there's little doubt Reid would have succeeded. In 2004, your Radio Equalizer wrote about the controversy for WorldNetDaily.
From the Review- Journal piece:
(15 February 1998) Reid's staff scrutinizes talk show commentary
By Jane Ann Morrison Review-Journal
An ongoing conflict with a conservative think tank's scathing commentary is not the only dispute Sen. Harry Reid and his staff have had recently with conservatives on radio.
The Democratic senator's staff is reviewing a tape of a show by former Reno talk show host Brian Maloney to see if anything slanderous was said, Reid spokeswoman Jenny Backus said.
Some radio executives shrug the complaints off as another sign that because the senator is engaged in a close race with Rep. John Ensign, a Republican, his staff is paying closer attention to negative radio programs.
Maloney, who recently left Reno conservative radio station KOH 780-AM for a job in Seattle, contends the complaints are an effort to stifle his free speech. In a recent interview, Maloney said he hosted a program that discussed a Wall Street Journal story about how Reid advocated a Del Webb Corp. land exchange in Clark County.
The three-hour show aired on Jan. 16, and on the following Monday, Backus said she requested a copy of the show.
"Whenever somebody wants a tape and suggests courses of action, that implies they are looking at legal action," Maloney said. "I really felt this was an attempt to stifle my free speech."
While KOH management didn't tell him to back off, Maloney said he could tell they were concerned.
Backus and Reid contend they have a legitimate right to complain if Maloney's comments were false. "I'm very happy he's left," Reid said.
The senator said he didn't know if Maloney's program really hurt him politically because "he was so absurd."
After Maloney was hired by the Seattle station, he said Reid staffers called KOH to find out about his departure.
"I don't like the retaliatory tone of all of this. It seems vindictive," Maloney said. "I can't believe I'm reading a Wall Street Journal front page story on the air and I'm getting in hot water."
Dan Mason, KOH program director said there may have been a little pressure applied by Reid's staff to have Maloney back off.
He wasn't as upset about the issue as Maloney, figuring recent events are a sign that Reid is "engaged in a real election. That may make him pay a little more attention to the radio shows."
Ensign and Reid both are frequent guests on talk radio shows across Nevada, where they can deliver their message directly.
"Talk radio is like going to a town hall meeting," Ensign said. "You have to answer people who totally disagree with you. I get treated more positively than Harry does on talk radio."
Reid said he enjoys appearing on talk radio but believes its power has "peaked out. It's not as big as it was a year or two ago."
(15 February 1998) Group, Reid battle over commentaries
A U.S. senator accuses a conservative institute of running political ads under the guise of commentary.
By Jane Ann Morrison Review-Journal
A conservative Nevada think tank that has blasted Democratic Sen. Harry Reid on the radio has been ordered by one broadcaster to lay off the attacks -- a move prompted by complaints by Reid's staff.
Democratic Party officials are now threatening to challenge the tax exempt status of the group, which buys air time on KNUU-AM 970 radio for its daily commentaries.
Reid described the Reno-based group, the Nevada Policy Research Institute, as "right wing zealots trying to help the far right." The senator, who is trying to thwart a challenge to his re-election by Republican Rep. John Ensign, objected to the tone, the partisan nature and the accuracy of the radio commentaries.
The free-market advocacy organization was founded in 1991 by former Nevada National Republican Committeewoman Judy Cresanta.
"The truth has no bearing on what they say," Reid said.
"I think they are running political ads under the guise of commentary." Democratic State Party Chairman Paul Henry said Wednesday that for several weeks, lawyers have been investigating whether the party can challenge the institute's tax-exempt status.
Henry -- who said he has never heard or read the commentaries in question -- said based on what others have told him, the institute's position is "heavily biased toward Republican views." Cresanta, told of the possibility the Democratic Party may ask the Internal Revenue Service to revoke the institute's tax-exempt status, called it an attempt to silence the group.
"This is a well-orchestrated attack by Harry Reid's office, using the party," she said.
Problems between the institute and Reid have been bubbling since December when the group's monthly newsletter, mailed out to 7,500 people, featured a cover story saying Reid's water settlement legislation in Northern Nevada hurt farmers in Churchill County.
In one radio commentary, the institute's contributing editor and research analyst, David Muska, promoted the article and said, "As for Harry, he doesn't have much to say about what he's done to Churchill County -- he's busy with other things, such as pressuring federal land bureaucrats on behalf of wealthy Las Vegas developers seeking to obtain prime real estate in Clark County." Joe McMurray, president and general manager of KNUU, said Reid's "people called and voiced their displeasure" after a commentary ran Jan. 28 criticizing Reid for using his position on the Senate Ethics Committee to allow senators to use box seats for basketball and hockey games in Washington, D.C. without violating the $50 gift limit.
The Ethics Committee ruled that box seats have no face value and are worth the cost of the club seats -- $48, which is $2 under the limit.
Muska's commentary criticized Reid, the committees' vice chairman, as conspiring with Ethics Committee Chairman Sen. Bob Smith, R-N.H., to help senators get around the $50 gift limit.
Muska said the "little people ... can see through his shaky justification of yet another perk for himself and the national ruling class." Reid argued the Ethics Committee decision was unanimous.
"I didn't do it, the entire committee did it," Reid said. "It's an effort to hurt me politically. The truth has no bearing."
There is still time to turn on the radio and judge for yourself. The institute buys time to air twice-daily commentaries during the commuter drive time in Las Vegas on KNUU.
After Thursday, however, they won't be broadcast.
McMurray informed the institute he will no longer run commentary attacking Reid or anyone else. "I don't run anything on this station that attacks any individual, politician or otherwise," said McMurray, who started the station in 1977.
On Tuesday the institute said because of McMurray's "sudden effort to impose censorship on our commentaries," it will no longer buy advertising time from his station.
Negotiations are under way to broadcast the commentaries on another Las Vegas station, Muska said.
In a letter written Tuesday to McMurray, Cresanta said she believes Reid has "targeted our organization for suppression." She contended Reid's campaign against her organization and its 1,100 members is "part of a statewide effort to quash anyone who attempts to offer critical review of how the senator exercises his considerable power."
Muska said that of the 235 commentaries he had written and delivered since last year, only five have been critical of Reid.
"I think he's so used to having puff coverage from the Nevada media, he's developed a thin skin," Muska said.
"He's gotten an imperial attitude about these things." Muska said he has been critical of Vice President Al Gore, the National Organization for Women, Gov. Bob Miller and Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa, and even Ensign, but its only now he's been told by McMurray he's overstepped the boundaries.
McMurray said the other commentaries haven't really attacked individuals.
"Mike O'Callaghan called and said, `Why the hell are you letting these people do that?' " McMurray recalled.
O'Callaghan, a former governor and Las Vegas Sun executive, is a longtime mentor to Reid, dating back to the days when he was Reid's high school boxing coach.
McMurray insisted he didn't feel intimidated or threatened, saying Muska was "making a mountain out of a molehill." Andy Schwartzman, president of the Media Access Project based in Washington, D.C., said while the think tank has a First Amendment right, the broadcasters are responsible for the editorial judgment. Although a candidate's paid political advertising cannot be censored, a commentary may, he said.
Better than other Americans, Nevadans know that the Harry Reid of 2007 is remarkably like the Harry Reid of 1997, just more petty, spiteful and vindictive, even against schoolchildren and the blind.
For Harry, censorship doesn't apply to his own foolish radio commentary, however, especially when it blames the GOP for his lack of leadership.
In the end, this controversy isn't about anything that may have been said by Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh or anyone else on the radio. It's about Harry Reid's lifelong crusade against critics who dare to question his selfish escapades, now joined by fellow- traveller Tom Harkin.
While he claims to value the American ideal of free speech, the truth is that he's much more at home with the likes of Putin, Ahmedinejad, Chavez and Mugabe. The Silver State has many reasons of which to be proud, but Harry Reid certainly doesn't provide one of them.
Armed Forces Radio, George Soros, Curtis Sliwa, Laughing Liberally
TUNED OUT
Consultants Ignored, Dirty Liberal Comedy, Bad Soros
There's great news regarding Armed Forces Radio, which has been in the news after indicating it was considering dropping political talk shows. Consultants hired by the military recently recommended dumping talk and country music, to be replaced by rap and hip-hop.
If enacted, the changes would have meant the end of Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity reaching troops stationed overseas. But AFRTS balked at the survey's findings, according to Stars and Stripes:
WASHINGTON — American Forces Radio listeners could hear some music changes in coming months but won’t lose their talk radio, according to the deputy assistant secretary of Defense for internal communications.
Allison Barber said officials won’t follow a media consultant’s recommendations that military radio drop Rush Limbaugh, National Public Radio and other talk shows in some markets in favor of potentially more popular music offerings.
A report from Lund Media Research commissioned by military radio officials had recommended breaking away from the one-music, one-talk format in regions with two radio stations, instead replacing it with two music stations playing more popular genres and dropping country music. The consultants recommended a politics/country music station only for regions with more than two stations.
But last week, Armed Forces Radio and Television Service officials decided not to make any immediate programming changes based on those suggestions.
“This research is a good benchmark for us … but there are recommendations that we’re not going to implement,” Barber said. “And the issue of taking political talk off of the radio is something that we’re not going to do.”
Was the instant outcry over these proposed changes a factor in their decision to keep the shows? We don't know.
Air America Radio sugar daddy George Soros has seen an insider trading conviction against him upheld, according to the International Herald Tribune:
The highest court in France on Wednesday rejected a bid by George Soros, the billionaire investor, to overturn a conviction for insider trading in a case dating back nearly 20 years, leaving the first blemish on his five-decade investing career.
The panel, the Cour de Cassation, upheld the conviction of Soros, 75, an American citizen, for buying and selling Société Générale shares in 1988 after receiving information about a planned corporate raid on the bank.
Ron Soffer, his lawyer, said Soros planned to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights, saying that the length of the proceedings had prevented his client from having a fair trial.
"The investigation started in 1989," he said. "The appeals trial occurred in 2004. How can you call witnesses and ask them about what happened in 1988?" The French stock market regulatory authority investigated the matter separately and concluded that Soros had not violated the law or any ethical rules, Soffer said.
The French authorities have not yet determined what fine Soros will pay.
What about his slimy role in the Asian Currency Crisis of the 1990s? Love that "first blemish" line in the story. George seems to have friends in the liberal press all over the world.
National Review's David Finnigan has a scathing review of the "Laughing Liberally" comedy tour, which has Air America ties:
Didn’t our moms tell us that the only people who used four-letter words were the ones who didn’t have anything more intelligent to say? Some Democratic friends recently did their best to rehabilitate that maternal axiom when, as part of the “Laughing Liberally” comedy tour’s stop in Los Angeles on June 3rd, one comedian called Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice a “ghetto homegirl bitch” and referred to commentator Ann Coulter with the highly vulgar c-word for a part of the female anatomy.
In a weak moment, WABC morning co-host Curtis Sliwa admits that he gave in to mafia bullying, according to the New York Daily News:
Guardian angels' founder Curtis Sliwa says he first went to the NYPD and FBI after his son's life was threatened by thugs, then in desperation penned a letter to the man he holds responsible for his 1992 shooting.
"For the first time in my life I felt weak," Sliwa said of the decision to write reputed crime boss John A. (Junior) Gotti. "I definitely would not have reached out to my enemy if it were not for little Anthony Chester's vulnerability."
Sliwa said he never intended the letter to become public but hoped the mob scion could quietly intercede with those who invoked the Gotti name while threatening the WABC radio host and his 2-1/2-year-old son during four recent public appearances.
More updates coming soon.
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Michael's Contest, Rhodes vs. Parshall, Kagan Aftermath
What's going on with Michael Savage?
In one of talk radio's oddest recent moves, the syndicated "Savage Nation" host has made a public call for several new "sidekicks" and even a possible co-host.
What in the world would possess Savage to do this, the Radio Equalizer can't imagine.
I am putting out a national casting call for five characters and one primary co-host. The way it will work is the audience will submit up to nine minutes of Audio to The Michael Savage Show...
The submittals will be vetted and the best (and worst) will be played on the air, the audience will vote and we develop a group of 32 contestants which will be voted off one a day at a time until the final five are left.
The one with the most votes will become co-host for 3 months, but can be fired by me - in which case the next highest vote getter will become co-host - and so on. The remaining five can be on air show characters until they get their chance to become co-host (If I fire the first four then the fifth highest vote getter becomes co-host).
The audience can veto my firing if they call into our 800 line and give the fired co-host 500,000 votes or more - in which case they get to stay for the remainder of the quarter.
On many levels, this appears to be a terrible move.
A major distraction from Savage's primary breaking news commentary role, listeners would be forced to adjust to a rapid series of changes. Worst of all, it pulls from his strongest audience lure: a gift of gab.
Long an excellent storyteller and conversationalist, Savage must know these new people would be in his way.
Why the Trump-style "contest"? According to recent industry chatter, he's said to be hitting some level of burnout and is particularly tired of political topics.
Rather than ruin the show with sidekicks, the Radio Equalizer recommends a brief (one or two month) sabbatical, so Mr. Savage can recharge his batteries.
As part of its "C-SPAN 25 Years- Viewer Call-ins" series, Air America's Randi Rhodes was teamed up with Salem's Janet Parshall to debate talk radio's influence. Airing Saturday afternoon, it was initially tame. Parshall made a few basic points, while Rhodes had great difficulty getting into the conversation's flow.
In terms of content, there wasn't much, at first. Rhodes did her best Courtney Love impression, while Parshall attempted to answer questions about talk radio's audience, influence and reach.
Then, sparks flew. Rhodes went back into loose cannon mode, talking down to Parshall, insisting she has no business hosting a political talk show.
However, Rhodes is heard on just 62 stations and registers less than a 0.1 combined national rating from those cities. Is she in a position to tell another host not to be on the air?
That circa-0.1 figure makes her claim to have "three or four million" listeners a tad suspect.
Since Parshall is carried on most of Salem Radio Networks owned and operated stations, her assertion of 160 affiliates sounds about right, even if they are quite small.
Because it wasn't clear, even to the interviewer, whether Rhodes was claiming three million program listeners, or if that was for Air America as a whole, she was asked the question a second time. No real answer seemed to be given.
Because Randi's behavior seems increasingly erratic, it's hard to know how seriously we should take her rhetorical assertions.
One lingering thought about Daryn Kagan's CNN situation: what's it like working at the liberal cable news network with a (backstabbing?) staff waiting for punishment opportunities at every turn?
The Radio Equalizer can only offer sympathy for the difficulties dating a hated conservative like Rush Limbaugh must cause for Kagan in the newsroom.
Which is worse, the leftist pounding she's taking over personal dating decisions, or behind-the-scenes headaches at work?
As the relationship continues, it will become a true test of Kagan's personal and professional strength.
The Radio Equalizer believes she's been in the business long enough to know keeping the newsroom happy isn't worth it- they'll knife you in the back anyway. So why bother?
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Kagan/King graphic: Pete at IHillary, Rhodes photo: HBO.
That's especially true when it comes to dating women.
That's especially true when it comes to dating women."Last summer, I was on a panel about terrorism that [he] was moderating," the blonde tells FHM.
