Rush Limbaugh Blames Media for Hurricane Irene Hysteria, Ignores Facts

The conservative talk radio host lampoons the media — as many have — but errs when he says Obama wanted it to be a disaster

Rush Limbaugh is not exactly a paragon of factual accuracy or moral rectitude, but Monday's claims about President Obama and the media were a bit absurd — even for him.

On his radio show — the nation's top-rated program — Limbaugh claims that Obama wanted Hurricane Irene to be more devastating that it actually was. 

"Obama, I'll guarantee you this. I'll guarantee you Obama was hoping this was gonna be a disaster as another excuse for his failing economy. If he's out there blaming tsunamis, earthquakes and whatever other natural disaster there are, this one was made to order, but it just didn't measure up," Limbaugh said.

Let that comment sink in for a second and think about how other natural disasters have impacted political careers just in the past few years.

Naoto Kan, the prime minister of Japan, is set to leave office because of how poorly he handled March's earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis.

Or what about George W. Bush? The wars and the financial crisis hurt him eventually, but his first real public relations catastrophe was Hurricane Katrina.

Rest assured Mr. President, Limbaugh had some not-so-kind words for the media as well. Limbaugh felt the media overhyped this, a sentiment that I shared Sunday, but his assertion that this is a product of the liberal media and liberal politicians is utterly preposterous.

Also Read: Hurricane Hysteria: Media Fueled Needless Panic Over Irene

"You know how the media lies, how politicized everything is to push the leftist agenda," Limbaugh said. "You know how the media distorts."

Well, whether or not you agree with Limbaugh, the politicians who were all over the media this weekend were New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has run as a Republican and an Independent, and New Jersey governor Chris Christie, a Republican.

Not only that, but Limbaugh himself criticizes Fox News' Shepard Smith. Whether or not you think Fox News has a conservative agenda, no one would confuse it for a source of liberal bias.

Except Limbaugh.

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