The Young Turks: Rush Limbaugh has cake with George W Bush

As previously mentioned Rush Limbaugh had a farewell dinner with outgoing President George W Bush. Rush recounted this final encounter with his audience, what was jarring was how gushing Rush was toward an outgoing President who was unpopular to the point of alienating his conservative supporters.

In a post years ago I wrote about how pundits usually distance themselves away from Washington and the President, even if they are controlled by ideological friendlies because they don't want to appear like lapdogs:

When pundits meet the President: Limbaugh, O'Reilly, Colbert
A standard measure that you've 'made it' in your chosen field is an invitation to meet the president. In punditry it has different implications. In punditry there is a cache placed in being a maverick, an outspoken no holds barred personality. There is an 'outsider' aesthetic that a pundit must project...

Meeting the President poses a bit of a quandary. On the one hand it is a personal milestone and the highest honor on a professional level. On the other hand it disturbs the illusion that the pundit is an everyman not seduced by power.

In that same post, Rush projected bravado when a Caller asked what Rush thought of his encounter with the President

CALLER: What a privilege for you, I'm sure.
RUSH: Well, it was a privilege for them.
CALLER: (Laughing.)
RUSH: You know, people have been asking me, "Well, what did the president tell you last night?" That's not it. "What did I tell the president?" is the correct question.
CALLER: (Laughing.) So he also recognizes that you're the man running the country?

So it's all the more unusual to see Rush so effusive, describing in great detail proud moments with the American President. Rush dropping his guard of machismo to show authentic pride, invoking the memory of his parents "I just wish my parents were alive... to tell them about this."

The Young Turks lampooned Rush Limbaugh's shameless gushing of his encounter with the President

(Young Turks host) CENK UYGUR: ...it's so easy to manipulate these folks, just call them by their name... (mocking impression) "I'm giddy, I'm pretending this happens all the time, that I get birthday cakes. But I don't. Nobody likes me. Everybody hates me. Nobody ever gets me birthday cakes. This is the first time it's ever happened. It's the President - I'm so happy. He called me Limbaugh" Easy big guy.

- Read Rush Limbaugh's full account of his final meeting with outgoing President Bush
- Go to the Young Turks Website