During the September 26 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Rush Limbaugh called service members who advocate U.S. withdrawal from Iraq “phony soldiers.†He made the comment while discussing with a caller a conversation he had with a previous caller, “Mike from Chicago,†who said he “used to be military,†and “believe[s] that we should pull out of Iraq.†Limbaugh told the second caller, whom he identified as “Mike, this one from Olympia, Washington,†that “[t]here’s a lot†that people who favor U.S. withdrawal “don’t understand†and that when asked why the United States should pull out, their only answer is, †‘Well, we just gotta bring the troops home.’ … ‘Save the — keeps the troops safe’ or whatever,†adding, “[I]t’s not possible, intellectually, to follow these people.†“Mike†from Olympia replied, “No, it’s not, and what’s really funny is, they never talk to real soldiers. They like to pull these soldiers that come up out of the blue and talk to the media.†Limbaugh interjected, “The phony soldiers.†The caller, who had earlier said, “I am a serving American military, in the Army,†agreed, replying, “The phony soldiers.â€
John Amato is urging people to call on the Senate and House leadership to introduce legislation condemning the comments of Limbaugh. This is a must. The Move On ad went after one person, Limbaugh has gone after a majority of United States soldiers. The Move On ad was placed in a newspaper. Rush Limbaugh made these comments over publicly owned airwaves. The same legislation that passed against MoveOn must be passed against Limbaugh. Any member of Congress who does not believe so is proving their hypocrisy and the voters will remember that.