MEDIA SHOULD GIVE LIMBAUGH A BREAK:

I was saddened to hear of Rush Limbaugh's addiction to painkillers. As a
Limbaugh fan - i.e., a "dittohead" - I hope and pray Limbaugh will get the
help he needs from drug rehab. However, what is most saddening is the
fodder his addiction will provide for liberal opponents. Being a crusader
for moral issues, Limbaugh is certain to be labeled a hypocrite by the
liberal elite for not cleaning up his own house.

However, I hope the media will portray his addiction with the same amount
of forgetfulness that they did with other public figures' miscues,
especially Democrats or liberals. For example, there was U.S. Sen. Ted
Kennedy's accident at Chappaquiddick; U.S. Sen. Robert Byrd's former
association with the Ku Klux Klan; Jesse Jackson's labeling of New York
City as "Hymietown" and his fathering of an illegitimate child; and a
plethora of sexual sins committed by Bill Clinton with Gennifer Flowers,
Paula Jones and Monica Lewinsky.

It seems to me that most of these issues were swept under the rug in the
name of political expediency, especially since they involved the darlings
of the media, i.e. liberals and/or Democrats.

All in all, there is nothing wrong with reporting facts when public figures
go astray. That would appear to be the media's job. Yet the media should
report these facts with the same fervor when transgressions are discovered
by Republicans or Democrats. In other words, if they throw stones at
Limbaugh, they better duck for cover, seeing that their measure of judgment
may return upon their own heads.

Davy Campbell

Pinson