Huck To Rush: Let’s Talk

After Rush’s monologue in which he went nuclear on Huckabee yesterday, and given the resulting overreaction across the blogosphere, many, including me, were wondering just how our man Mike would respond. The answer is: with class.

Mike Huckabee, taking questions from reporters after a town hall meeting here, responded to the torrent of criticism that Rush Limbaugh unleashed during his broadcast yesterday by turning the other cheek — and then heaping on the praise.

“I love Rush Limbaugh; I’ve always loved his show,” Huckabee assured. “I think he’s been great for the conservative movement.”

Huck seemed to be taken completely by surprise that Limbaugh would eviscerate him, based on a comment from an unnamed source that had nothing to do with his campaign. Yesterday many people, including Rush himself, seemed to react as if the insulting lib talking points came from Huckabee himself. They absolutely did not.

Stung by an anonymous Huckabee supporter’s comments to Marc Ambinder that derided the influential talker as taking his cues from the “D.C./Manhattan chattering class,” Limbaugh used his Friday show to defend himself.

He called the attacks “Clintonian” and accused Huckabee’s campaign of “trying to dumb down conservatism in order to get it to conform with his record.”

So does candidate Mike Huckabee endorse those idiotic comments that were falsely attributed to him? Let’s ask.

Asked if he thought Limbaugh was an elite conservative or grass-roots conservative, Huckabee quickly said, “Oh, I think he’s a grass-roots conservative.”

Questioned why the talk show host would attack him, Huckabee shrugged.

“Ask him. I don’t know. … All I can do is hope that Rush loves me as much as I love Rush.”

Over to you, Rushbo.

I hope that Rush will accept the olive branch over this unfortunate misunderstanding. And I have little doubt that he will. Rush is just that kind of guy.

The ball is now in EIB’s court.

See also: More reaction over at The Carpetbagger Report.

Update: Rush responds.

“I saw his comments and accept them as honest, sincere and genuine,” Limbaugh wrote in an e-mail.

Rush also added: “I wish Gov. Huckabee a Merry Christmas.”

Hat Tip: Hot Air.

Unleash the Hounds of Rush

Marc Ambinder seems to have created quite the little tempest in a teapot. He quoted an unnamed “Huckabee ally” (whatever that means) attacking El Rushbo.

“Honestly, because Rush doesn’t think for himself. That’s not necessarily a slap because he’s not paid to be a thinker—he’s an entertainer. I can’t remember the last time that he has veered from the talking points from the DC/Manhattan chattering class. If they were praising Huckabee, he would be too.”

Yikes. Lib talking points. But it gets worse, much worse.

“Also, I have to think that he’s dying to have Hillary in the White House. Bill Clinton made Rush a megastar. Having another Clinton back in power would make him the Leading Voice of the Opposition once again.”

These are not the words of a Limbaugh fan, or even a person that has a drop of respect for decades of excellence in broadcasting. This is deliberate taunting. And Rush, naturally, was not amused. Neither was Michelle Malkin. Neither was anybody.

But something tells me they’ve been had, or are just happy to have a reason to pound Huck. Consider this for a moment: how would attacking the most powerful voice of conservatism in the media benefit Huckabee? Yeah, exactly. It wouldn’t. It never would. It couldn’t in any possible scenario. Something smells like a bit fat lib rat. This only benefits Huck’s rivals. So what’s up here?

Marc Ambinder is refusing to name this “Huckabee ally,” but this person, if he or she exists, doesn’t work for the Huckabee campaign. So the accusations about Huckabee or his campaign attacking Limbaugh (“bringing a water pistol to a knife fight” as Ed Morrissey put it) are 100% false.

But it made for some good radio this morning, and gave Rush a good reason to attack candidate Huckabee. But I wonder if this was really a “Huckabee ally” and not an “anyone but Huckabee ally.”

Because “a prominent DC-based Huckabee ally” would know better than attacking Rush Limbaugh. In fact it would never have crossed the mind of such a person, especially if he or she knew that those poorly chosen words would be made public. Unless of course, the whole point was to encourage a Huckabee pre-Christmas weekend beatdown. Merry Christmas, Mike!

The meme clearly being sent is “Huck is a liberal.” Only a liberal would spout lib talking points on the record, while simultaneously kicking Limbaugh.

And in the end, Ambinder was used to create the story, rather than to report the story. Nice job, anonymous ally of some unnamed candidate. Slimy, but well done.

In any case, I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas. May God also fill your next year, 2008, with blessings.

Update: Rick Moran piles on.  Sigh.