Rush Limbaugh, in hot water for what many deemed to be hateful and misogynistic hot air this week, apologized Saturday to Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke on his website.
“For over 20 years, I have illustrated the absurd with absurdity, three hours a day, five days a week,” wrote Limbaugh. “In this instance, I chose the wrong words in my analogy of the situation. I did not mean a personal attack on Ms. Fluke.”
Fluke had appeared at a Democratic event on Capitol Hill at which she advocated for religion-affiliated institutions to cover contraception in health care plans. She said female students at Georgetown must pay for contraception out of pocket because the school won’t cover it.
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Over a three-day span, Limbaugh conducted a targeted onslaught against Fluke, calling her a “slut” and at one point suggesting she and other recipients of subsidized contraception provide videos of their sexual encounters as a kind of pay back.
Limbaugh’s words brought condemnation from Georgetown University’s president, the National Organization for Women and Speaker of the House John Boehner, usually an ally of Limbaugh’s.
President Obama joined the fray on Friday, placing a call to Fluke to thank her for her efforts. Obama’s spokesman Jay Carney called Limbaugh’s words, “reprehensible and inappropriate”
In his online apology, Limbaugh went on to write:
“I think it is absolutely absurd that during these very serious political times, we are discussing personal sexual recreational activities before members of Congress … Where do we draw the line? If this is accepted as the norm, what will follow? Will we be debating if taxpayers should pay for new sneakers for all students that are interested in running to keep fit? In my monologue, I posited that it is not our business whatsoever to know what is going on in anyone's bedroom nor do I think it is a topic that should reach a Presidential level.
"My choice of words was not the best, and in the attempt to be humorous, I created a national stir. I sincerely apologize to Ms. Fluke for the insulting word choices.”