(UPDATE: Limbaugh did apologize again on his show Monday, saying, " I've always tried to maintain a very high degree of integrity and independence on this program," Limbaugh said. "Nevertheless those two words were inappropriate, they were uncalled for. They distracted from the point I was trying to make and I again sincerely apologize to Ms. Fluke for using those words to describe her." )
As the controversy continued to mushroom — and more importantly, as advertisers began to flee — Rush Limbaugh issued a mealy-mouthed apology Saturday night for calling Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke a "prostitute" after she had spoken publicly in favor of the Obama administration's birth control policies.
On his website, Rush insisted that "I did not mean a personal attack on Ms. Fluke."
Since he wrote those words and didn't broadcast them (yet?), we have no idea if he made the statement with a straight face. Remember, he called Fluke a "slut" who "wants to be paid to have sex," later saying she was “having so much sex, it’s amazing she can still walk”; and later that she was “having sex so frequently that she can’t afford all the birth-control pills that she needs."
But of course it was nothing personal.
At least for Limbaugh it wasn't. He doesn't know or care one whit about Ms. Fluke. But business? Hell, yes, Rush cares about that, and his grotesque language was so toxic that six of his advertisers pulled their ads, compelling Limbaugh to do what you know he didn't want to do — apologize.
This article appears in Mar 1-7, 2012.