CRASH OF THE ICONS

Bennett, Bush, Limbaugh Have All Fallen On Hard Times

All of a sudden a spate of right-wing icons seem less, well, iconic. Three
in a row -- William Bennett, George W. Bush and Rush Limbaugh -- have
transformed themselves from political pillars to pitiable paleoliths.

To be "fair and balanced" about this, the left wing has lost more than its
share of discredited heroes in the past few years (Gray Davis the most
recent, Jesse Jackson before him and Bill Clinton before him.) But their
falls from grace lacked the certain pop, pop, pop, rapid-fire velocity with
which the right is doing in so many of its own of late.

Just five months ago we learned the Bookie of Virtues (as he was widely
described by the liberal media) had a hidden vice: gambling. Republicans'
own four-star culture war general had lectured the nation on all manner of
ills, and been remunerated generously for his profligate advice, at $50,000
per lecture in some cases. However, the former Education secretary remained
comfortably quiet on one societal ill: gambling. Why? It was his own. Down
came the Bennett statue and we have heard little from him since.

While Bennett was awkwardly uttering mea culpas on national television,
President Bush's job approval rating was hovering around 60 or above in
nationwide polls. But late last month, pollsters registered a significant
drop. The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, for example,
released a poll of registered voters showing the president has a
"statistically insignificant 45 percent-43 percent edge over an unnamed
Democrat" among them. The Pew Center's research showed "as recently as
July, the president held a ten-point advantage over a generic Democratic
candidate (47 percent-37 percent)."

Why? This conservative idol was found to have been prevaricating about Iraq
and his ultra-liberal attitude towards government spending was sending the
economy into a tizzy.

Then there's Rush. Ah, Rush, that "great American" in President Bush's
description. Not only does Limbaugh self-immolate on ESPN by making a
completely gratuitous and somewhat racist remark. Shortly thereafter Rush
reveals (only because he was about to be busted by a federal investigation)
that he's hooked on prescription pain killing drugs procured illegally and
in massive amounts. He's now in hiding in rehab.

Like Bennett on gambling, Limbaugh's public attacks on liberals and liberal
issues stayed suspiciously, yet wisely away from drug abusers. He reveled
in taking apart "feminists," invented the term, "feminazi," derided
environmentalists as "tree-huggers" and spent countless hours dehumanizing
the Clintons. His drug abuse-bashing record is less capacious.

In 1995, Newsday reports he did aver the following on his talk radio
platform: "There's nothing good about drug use. We know it. It destroys
individuals. It destroys families. Drug use destroys societies. Drug use,
some might say, is destroying this country. And we have laws against
selling drugs, pushing drugs, using drugs, importing drugs.... And so if
people are violating the law by doing drugs, they ought to be accused and
they ought to be convicted and they ought to be sent up."

Question: Now that his former housekeeper has provided evidence to
prosecutors of Limbaugh's capacious drug habit (she claims to have sold him
4,350 doses of OxyContin, Lorcet and hydrocodone in one 47-day period) can
he rehabilitate himself not only off of drugs, but with his audience of 20
million listeners each week? Of the three, Bennett has the weakest chance
of public rehabilitation and re-acceptance. He also has the smallest
following. Limbaugh could rehabilitate most effectively by proving he's not
a hypocrite and serving time in prison for his not-insignificant legal
transgressions.

What, jail you say, isn't that a bit harsh? These were, after all,
prescription drugs (procured however, just as illegally as banned
substances.) Yes, jail! Remember his own words, "The answer is to go out
and find the ones who are getting away with it, convict them and send them
up the river, too." Now it's your turn, Rush.

Of the three, President Bush will have the easiest time restoring faith
among his formerly faithful. All he need do is pray for the economy to turn
around, which it seems to be doing with or without his intervention.

But the right has lost some luster nonetheless.