LIMBAUGH IS BACK ON THE AIR

Rush Limbaugh is back, and so are his listeners -- at least for the first
day. No telling whether his addiction to painkillers will affect the size
of his audience. Limbaugh returned to the air Monday, apparently in good
spirits after five weeks of intensive drug rehabilitation therapy. Some
estimated that nearly twice the normal 15 million listeners tuned in to
hear the typical Limbaugh boilerplate -- harangues against Sens. Edward
Kennedy and Hillary Rodham Clinton -- and his assessment of his therapy.

He called it a "wonderful process," saying he felt "reborn," and he
admitted he could not overcome his addiction through "force of will."

"I tried to detox myself twice," he said.

That is a helpful admission. It could spur other addicts to seek treatment.

But Limbaugh still has some sticky legal problems that he says he is unable
to comment on directly at this point. And there is the issue of hypocrisy.

While he claims he would like to be "blunt and open" about the legal
issues, he certainly was not very forthcoming until the National Enquirer
broke the story that he was under suspicion of involvement in the
distribution of black-market prescription drugs. Nor did he offer up his
usual song and dance about how all drug addicts should be treated as criminals.

Perhaps that makes no difference to loyal Limbaugh fans. But they may be
disappointed in the end.

A reborn Limbaugh may be a chastened Limbaugh to whom the world may not
seem as black-and-white as it once did. That old, hard-hearted Rush may be
gone forever.