Limbaugh: Obama Blew Up Oil Rigs?!
Via Kevin Drum and Ezra Klein, I see that yesterday Rush Limbaugh questioned the timing of the oil spill off the Louisiana coast. His own rush transcript is titled “Regime SWAT Teams Sent to Gulf.” That would be the Obama regime, naturally. He seems to be alleging that Obama sent SWAT teams to blow up the oil rig in order to stop drilling and gain power to issue environmentalist policies.
Reading the excerpts, I presumed Rush was engaged in some bizarre parody. Illustrating absurdity by being absurd and all that. But it sure doesn’t seem that way. I’m going to excerpt much more than usual, just to provide context.
CALLER: And I haven’t heard anything about this but we know what happened in the ClimateGate situation, and we know about the faulty research and the faulty data, et cetera, and I’m sure that something like this has been done but it’s a thought. Is it possible that somebody on the other side might have thought in their minds for the greater good to maybe not have done some maintenance on the oil lines, to maybe have what they thought might have been a controlled oil leak that got outta hand to try and shut off or shun the thought of having any more offshore oil drilling?
RUSH: Well…
CALLER: And all of a sudden we have this huge leak. The whole thing now shifts to we shouldn’t be drilling offshore because of this leak.
RUSH: Charlie Crist already led the way there on suggesting we shouldn’t be doing any more drilling. By the way, Charlie Crist sometime today, is going to announce that he’s going to go for the Senate seat in Florida as an independent.
RUSH: Well…
CALLER: And all of a sudden we have this huge leak. The whole thing now shifts to we shouldn’t be drilling offshore because of this leak.
RUSH: Charlie Crist already led the way there on suggesting we shouldn’t be doing any more drilling. By the way, Charlie Crist sometime today, is going to announce that he’s going to go for the Senate seat in Florida as an independent.
Okay, this is all rather weird and conspiratorial but nothing to write home about. Then we get this:
RUSH: Ladies and gentlemen, I didn’t hear this myself, but I have been informed that President Obama is sending SWAT teams to the Gulf oil rigs. SWAT teams? I’m waiting on audio sound bite confirmation of this, but why in the world would you send SWAT teams to Gulf oil rigs? Oh, I know! Obama probably thinks the tea party blew up the rig. That’s what it is. (laughing) Yes. Of course the tea party did it! (laughing) Seriously, you know, this rig… We had this call from a guy out there who said nobody’s talking about whether this was an act of sabotage because I guess they can’t prove it, but they’re going to send SWAT teams down there? He was going to send a SWAT team to the rig that blew up or are you going to send a SWAT team to other rigs? What’s going on here? Remember, this rig blew April 21st, which is one day prior to “Erf” Day.
I have a story here from Reuters, September 24th, 2008 (shuffling paper) right here in my formerly nicotine-stained fingers: “Nobel Peace Prize winner and environmental crusader Al Gore urged young people on Wednesday to engage in civil disobedience to stop the construction of coal plants without the ability to store carbon.” So you got the guru here urging civil disobedience, you got the regime sending SWAT teams down there to all the rigs in the Gulf. They’re sending SWAT teams to all the rigs in the Gulf! Whoa ho-ho-ho. So obviously Obama thinks the tea partiers are expert scuba divers as well or maybe they have their own fleet of underwater submarines that can go deep enough to go undetected, set explosives, and hightail it back to the protests in Ohio, or wherever they (laughing) happen to be.
So 15 years of no global warming. “That’s just anecdotal! It doesn’t disapprove anything! It doesn’t disapprove that there’s a man-made threat going on.” But one oil spill — one oil spill which might have been intentional — is enough to prove that offshore oil drilling is unsafe and should never be done. This is the logic we’re forced to live with. There hasn’t been any warming in 15 years, that doesn’t mean anything. Those e-mails were hoaxed! The readings at the climate unit in East Anglia, they were all made up. “Doesn’t matter. What matters is who leaked those e-mails. What the e-mails said doesn’t matter.” But those guys made it all up, and they wouldn’t produce the data that led to their conclusions. They say they lost it. “Doesn’t matter. Doesn’t matter at all!” But it hasn’t warmed in 15 years. “It doesn’t matter.” But I just saw a story you guys say you’re looking for the “lost” heat. “Doesn’t matter.” One oil rig blows up, and it proves we can’t dig, drill, find more oil.
RUSH: Now, here’s the regime kicking into action here on the Gulf oil well or the rig explosion, President Obama mere moments ago in the Rose Garden before presenting the teacher of the year award.
OBAMA: I do want to speak briefly to the American people about the recent BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Earlier today DHS Secretary Napolitano announced that this incident is of national significance and the Department of Interior has announced that they will be sending SWAT teams to the Gulf to inspect all platforms and rigs and I have ordered the secretaries of interior and Homeland Security as well as administrator Lisa Jackson of the Environmental Protection Agency to visit the site on Friday to ensure that BP and the entire US government is doing everything possible not just to respond to this incident but also to determine its cause.
RUSH: Wow. All right, so SWAT teams, we’re sending big sis down there, Janet Napolitano, to look at all the valves and stuff, make sure they’re properly greased. He-he-he-he. Ahem. And Lisa Jackson is doing the same thing. So obviously the regime is open to the idea that this is not an accident. The regime is open to the possibility that this could well have been on purpose. Don’t forget, the original Earth Day, 40 years ago, was inspired by the river in Cleveland catching fire. Forty years later, the day before Earth Day this year, the Gulf is on fire. Coincidence? Jury’s still out. The regime is on the case, soon to tell us what happened.
This is some addled stuff. But it gets better. Apparently on return from break:
RUSH: I want to get back to the timing of the blowing up, the explosion out there in the Gulf of Mexico of this oil rig. Since they’re sending SWAT teams down there now this changes the whole perspective of this. Now, lest we forget, ladies and gentlemen, the carbon tax bill, cap and trade that was scheduled to be announced on Earth Day. I remember that. And then it was postponed for a couple of days later after Earth Day, and then of course immigration has now moved in front of it. But this bill, the cap-and-trade bill, was strongly criticized by hardcore environmentalist wackos because it supposedly allowed more offshore drilling and nuclear plants, nuclear plant investment. So, since they’re sending SWAT teams down there, folks, since they’re sending SWAT teams to inspect the other rigs, what better way to head off more oil drilling, nuclear plants, than by blowing up a rig? I’m just noting the timing here.
Is there any explanation here other than that Rush is delusional?
Joyner, the only ones delusional are those who suggest Rush laid this at Obama’s feet. To do so is a lie and those who repeat it are liars. I listened to that show yesterday. All Rush did was point out the coincidence of facts on the ground. The timing of certain legislation. After all who was it that said “let no crisis go to waste”? Joyner, if I were you and I thank God every day that I am not, I would not put my credibility up against Rush Limbaugh. You will lose every time. But then you have your degree. All Rush has is the truth.
Not a defense, just a simple explanation: he talks for approximately two and a half hours each day. He’s bound to get carried away, especially when he’s having a bad day. Glenn Beck does, too, and so have liberal commentators who have columns to fill.
He’s an entertainer and he’s entertaining.
Also, most AGW deniers still agree the Earth is warming … at least the serious ones who know anything about science or statistics.
“Is there any explanation here other than that Rush is delusional?” Yep, the explanation is the same for every other shot I have read about his commentaries. The author, without exception, has not listened to the segment, and therefore would not be able to detect the sarcasm or the irony he consistently uses brilliantly. If you are going to take the time to write it, take the time to investigate it.
BTW, Jayvie, after reading the Zelsdorf’s comedic conclusion, I imagined your avatar spitting out his coffee.
/It was amusing, at least to me …
You’re assuming Rush actually believes what he says. Maybe he’s just happy to get rich off of the delusional parts of his listener base.
Bingo!!
—-
Zels…what credibility do you have?
Not a fan of Rush’s, however I don’t think he’s delusional. I think it’s useful rhetorical comments to keep people listening. Obama uses the same technique.
I didn’t listen to Rush yesterday. However if history tells you anything, the anti-Rush crowd will misquote, misinterpret, misrepresent and take out of context what Rush says. \
What little I heard of him today, he was poking fun at the conspiracy theorist. After this entire story have all the elements of a typical conspiracy theory. What the hell is Obama doing sending SWAT teams down there for? I assuming this is a screw up, we missing information or there is something being misreported.
Rush is probably baiting the conspiracy theorist and will be asking them next week why they are not jumping to conspiracies like they would Bush. Assuming of course they don’t. After all Rush is not saying there is a conspiracy but is only pointing out all the typical conspiracy elements that exist.
Of course the truth won’t matter to the Rush haters.
Certainly there’s a better explanation. He’s deeply cynical and exploits people’s fears for a multi-million dollar paycheck.
If Rush Limbaugh was caught in bed smoking crack with an underage girl, and stabbed the arresting officer while screaming, “I hate Jesus!” the dittoheads would still find an excuse.
Oh really? Which conspiracy theories has the president allegedly peddled?
Exactly right…the truly sad things about all of this are the people who actually believe the manure he peddles, not to mention the pitiful defenses that are made for him…
michael;
Well said!
The only problem is that the “mind numbed robots” on the other side would do the same for
J.S., B.O., and K.O.
Wayne,
Having not listened to him today, I’ll have to take your word for it. If what you say is true, then good for him and I’m glad he deflated this guy’s (and any subsequent person’s) conspiracy ideas about what will be one of the costliest natural disasters (for the U.S.) in the last decade.
No, we would have to draw the line there Harry.
Global Warming?
Climate chang?
Man Made disasters?
Bush made disasters?
Cheany made disasters?
Something about there really being 57 States?
The core of the Earth being several million degrees, oh wait, that was AL gore, sorry?
um ah um ah um um ah?
That the autobots had brought a blood feud to earth?
Cutting off feet to get paid?
Thats just a few off the top of my head.
Oh, man…I think I finally proved to my brother that Obama’s birth certificate is genuine and now this?
It’s amusing that this doesn’t inspire a leading conservative like Rush to rethink “Drill baby drill” or reconsider his general “who cares about the environment?” stance. No, it just inspires a rethinking of the conspiracy theories…
That’s hilarious. In a sad way.
Just heard at a DC watering hole-someone in O’s inner circle spilled the beans about a cheating scandal involving O and an aide from the election. Interesting…
If Rush Limbaugh was caught in bed smoking crack with an underage girl, and stabbed the arresting officer while screaming, “I hate Jesus!” the dittoheads would still find an excuse.
The “I hate Jesus!” was just satire. The rest of it is because his back hurts.
Just heard at a DC watering hole-someone in O’s inner circle spilled the beans about a cheating scandal involving O and an aide from the election. Interesting…
Well…that is certainly credible information.
I suspect it’s mainly a parody of the truthers.
I kind of just assumed he was doing a riff on the Spike Lee “Bush blew up the levees ’cause he hates blacks” crowd.
Don’t really listen to the fellow, but I’m given to understand he does that sort of thing often
PUG-Hotel video won’t be O’s friend…
Pronoun trouble, he wasn’t referring to Obama blowing up the well, but some other group doing it and the administration, choosing not to ‘waste a crisis’ . I guess our dependence on foreign oil
is solved, oh wait it isn’t. And btw, the oil pouring out of that site, suggests that the potential oil find in that area is not as small as we have been left to believe.
This isn’t going to play well with mainstreet. Two beautiful daughters at home and he’s with Miss Thing at a “soccer game”…tsk, tsk…
Rush’s diatribe was satire. I don’t know who’s bigger douchebags-Rush’s listeners or some of the posters here.
The Vera Baker rumors are bogus. Everyone knows Obama’s a fudgepacker…with Michelle playing the beard.
My god, this comment thread turned into irony writ large.
His fault? Perhaps his amazing awesomeness is some type of fault.
I have a better explanation: Rush is a conservative.
Is there another reason? Maybe there was “something more” to that explosion on the oil rig.
Overnight there has been quite abuzz about “something” on many varied sites.
I’m not about to discount anything any more. Stuff I thought would NEVER happen, has happened.
Is there any explanation here other than that Rush is delusional?
Sure. He could be a cynical liar.
Then again, it could just be simple incompetence, involved:
http://www.riehlworldview.com/carnivorous_conservative/2010/04/oops-macondo-driling-plan-was-submitted-approved-under-obama-administration.html
What the heck are you going on about?
The Won uses ‘useful rhetorical comments’ every time he opens his mouth to speak to (or at) us. Or trots one of his toadies out to speak for him. It’s a widely used technique. News headlines not reflective of the story, politicians, well just being politicians, talking heads, etc.
Comments/questions, stated for effect, not necessarily in part or whole based in or supported by fact.
In a word, spin.
The question is ‘When hasn’t he used the technique?’.
re: sookie | May 1, 2010 | 11:04 am
Actually, that’s some mighty nice spin you are deploying, comparing anything that the president or any of his people have said to this ridiculous drivel from Limbaugh…well done…
A.I.P. are you under the belief that anything that
comes out of Obama’s mouth is not a lie?
The last rhetoric I heard coming from this fools blueberry lips came very close to insetting a mind set which will lead to a race war!
lol, and you fools worry about Rush showing the stupidity of the left in one of his many ways.
Why don’t you just call him a spook not too far removed from Louis Farrakhan? And you call others fools…
What does spook got to do with anything?
Like the dude don’t have blueberry colored lips at times.
Like every thing he says isn’t a lie.
like he wasn’t stirring up minorities for the purpose of cementing the lies he was telling with liberal racespeak.
Whatever dude keep thinking I’m’ a racist.Id bet I have more black and brown friends then you do.
How many black or brown girls or guys have you had as girlfriend or boyfriend?
How many black or brown kids did you grow up with that could just walk into your unlocked back door as if they were family?
how many parties have you gone to with black and brown friends? I mean real parties!
How many fights have been in standing side by side with your back and brown friends?
Dude my cousins are brown and my my niece is black.
Not that any of this should matter but wtf, I’m sick of being called a racist for making fun of this ***hole we have for a president or for explaining the pure as white driven hell of some dumb liberal **** that he is up to!
Damn!
is a bomber responsible for the explosion? That remains an open question, mostly because I wouldn’t put a damn thing passed this president and this Congress. That said, however, there are a number of more likely suspects. Some of which, are not political in nature.
That said, it seems foolish to me to think that there is no possibility of a connection between the pronouncement of Obama that we’re going to expand oil production offshore, or at least, exploration … and less than a week later this will platform goes to blew a period for the last couple of weeks we’ve been inundated with news reports about the ever expanding or oil threat to the gulf coast .
Let’s take a step back from all of this though. Does anyone remember the long period of time where we saw price increases on gasoline and other well products and the bush administration got the blame for it? Have you noticed the price of the pump lately? Where’s the outrage on this?
And I suspect, given David Axelrod and his comments the other day, that the democrats are going to be using this explosion as a hat. A cover, if you will, for their religion into of limiting our energy production. After all, isn’t he the one who told us never to let a good crisis go unexploited ?
is Obama responsible for the explosion? That remains an open question, mostly because I wouldn’t put a damn thing passed this president and this Congress.
That said, however, there are a number of more likely suspects. Some of which, are not political in nature.
That said, it seems foolish to me to think that there is no possibility of a connection between the pronouncement of Obama that we’re going to expand oil production offshore, or at least, exploration … and less than a week later this will platform goes to blew a period for the last couple of weeks we’ve been inundated with news reports about the ever expanding or oil threat to the gulf coast .
Let’s take a step back from all of this though. Does anyone remember the long period of time where we saw price increases on gasoline and other well products and the bush administration got the blame for it? Have you noticed the price of the pump lately? Where’s the outrage on this?
Given David Axelrod and his comments the other day, that the democrats are going to be using this explosion as a hat. A cover, if you will, for their religion into of limiting our energy production. After all, isn’t he the one who told us never to let a good crisis go unexploited ?
I suppose that what we’re dealing with here is mere opportunist am. Though, I don’t completely discount political /energy terrorism
You know how people begin to look like their dogs over time? well, is it possible to become as stupid as your name ?
“Zelsdorf Ragshaft III ”
honestly that is one miserable name.
oh yeah Zelsdorf–Rush has the facts. Go back to Germany, you putz.