Rush detained...

June 27, 2006 10:00 AM

Fox News and CNN (via the Associated Press) are reporting that Rush Limbaugh was detained yesterday after his private plane arrived from the Dominican Republic. Customs and Immigration officials searched the plane, and found a bottle of viagra on board. It did not have Rush's name on it, but those of his doctors.

The matter was turned over to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's office--the office that had, until recently, been investigating Rush based on allegations that he improperly obtained pain pill prescriptions. Which is not something that the typical private individual is ever prosecuted for, absent extremly exigent circumstances... like being a prominent conservative Republican. Palm Beach authorities launched a massive legal battle to access Rush's medical records, which they lost. Last month, Palm Beach officials reached a deal with Rush, which amounted to a total concession on their part, and frankly, made them look like a bunch of hacks. All charges were dropped in exchange for Rush agreeing to random drug tests and a treatment program.

Now it looks like the Palm Beach authorities are doing everything they can to try to save face--and embarrass Rush. Detaining someone for unprescribed viagra? Again, not something the average member of the public is ever charged with. And, Rush's explaination--that the reason the bottle does not have his name on it is for privacy purposes--sounds completely legit. And easily verifiable.

If Palm Beach County officials think this will help them save face--and rehabilitate their reputation for inititating politically-motivated criminal investigations--they are seriously mistaken. What the hell is going on in Palm Beach County?

And for those who think the fact that this made it into the news is normal, you are wrong. In Ohio, authorities do NOT disclose the names of uncharged suspects. Because uncharged suspects have rights. They may even be innocent. So why is the sheriff in Palm Beach issuing statements to the press?

UPDATE:

Well of course, NBS tuned into Rush to see if he had anything to say about this at the start of his show. He had started with moderately funny joke about how he didn't understand how he ended up with Bob Dole's luggage. Then he described his weekend, which sounded completely fantastic. He was in D.C. for a dinner at the Supreme Court, and got a private tour of the Court with Clarence Thomas. Ann Coulter was there, as was the Secretary of Homeland Security. He also hosted a symposium at the Heritage Foundation with the cast and crew of "24." Then Karl Rove called, to see if they'd like to pop in for lunch, so Rush et al. hung with Rove for a while, before the President rang and asked him to stop by the Oval for a howdy-hi. Then it was back to hang with Rove for a few hours. Then he jetted off on his private plane to the Dominican Republic for a visit to a tobacco farm and a charity event.

Now THAT is NBS's idea of a great weekend. Viagra or no, we would have had a hard-on the entire time!

UPDATE NO. 2

We evidently missed one of the jokes Rush had today, and it was a pretty good one:

"I told my doctors I was worried about the next election!"

Not bad, Rush. Not bad!