LIMBAUGH'S FOLLY

Rush Limbaugh billed himself as the epitome of morality and virtue. His
fall from grace proves that no one should ever do that.

He's not the first, of course. Luminaries on both sides of the political
spectrum have been guilty of pairing public preaching and private sin. But
those on the right have been the most vociferous and judgmental. They have
set the very high standards that they themselves have fallen short of. So
they tend to look the most hypocritical when they fall.

Even in that company, Limbaugh stands out. Few in the spotlight have been
as harsh on, or as dismissive of, his fellow man as Rush Limbaugh. Many of
those who have been in his cross-hairs over the years must feel buoyed by
his comeuppance: First he was forced to resign as an ESPN National Football
League analyst for saying - stupidly, wrongly - that black quarterbacks
needed propping up by the politically correct media; then he had to admit
an addiction to painkillers when his maid came forward with evidence of it.

If anything good could come of his self-immolation - other than his
breaking free of addiction following 30 days of inpatient care - it might
be this: that an unprecedented wave of humility would wash over the land.

Our leaders - public and private, conservative and liberal - are in special
need of that humility.

We will always need preachers; we'll always need leaders who point out the
pitfalls along the human journey.

But preaching works best with a good dose of humility, rather than the
sanctimony we sometimes get.