RUSH WATCH WEEK 2: THE SILENCE IS DEAFENING

"Get a Rush! Rush Limbaugh on talk radio eight-ninety." - Radio spot
promoting Rush Limbaugh's program on Chicago radio station WLS-AM.

The brief, now profoundly ironic, radio promos are becoming more familiar
to me. I've been listening to Rush Limbaugh's broadcast all week in hopes
of learning more about the professional talker's alleged drug problems.

The exercise has been disappointing.

If you read this space last week, you may recall my prediction that the
usually verbose Limbaugh wouldn't have much to say about drugs or drug
policy. The prediction, of course, was based more on common sense than
psychic ability. It's understandable that he won't talk about his own
legal situation; no one wants to incriminate themselves.

As I said last week, though, it's a perfect opportunity to advance the
debate about drug prohibition in general, with or without discussing his
personal situation. All this week on his show Limbaugh railed against
over-reaching government, self-interested bureaucrats, disingenuous
politicians and general threats to American freedom. The drug war could be
raised in association with any of those phenomena - it is a far bigger
fraud than any of the specific issues he raised. But I doubt we'll ever
hear it from Limbaugh, no matter how true he might believe it to be.

Sadly, it looks like Limbaugh is waiting for everyone to forget about his
support for the drug war and his alleged transgressions against drug laws.

That's not what he said would happen last Friday, the first day he returned
to the microphone after he was accused of buying thousands of black market
pain pills. Near the beginning of the show Limbaugh mentioned the story
about "drugs and me" but he said he couldn't give any details until he knew
more about what was going on. He promised to explain the whole thing when
he had an opportunity. He posted a statement to that effect on his Web site.

Critics smelled a smokescreen. Some called the statement "Clintonesque,"
about the nastiest insult one could hurl at Limbaugh. Even the Wall Street
Journal called for honesty on the issue, urging Limbaugh to "face his
problems like a man." On Monday's program Limbaugh denied that his earlier
statement was Clintonian. He had to figure out was he was facing legally,
he said. Until then, he would not talk about it. That statement also went
up on the Web site.

Then there was silence. Within about 48 hours the statement about the need
for legal knowledge was removed from the site.

According to interviews with law enforcement authorities conducted by the
Palm Beach Post, the possibility that Limbaugh will ever be prosecuted is
slim. Unless he was caught red-handed with a large quantity of pills, he's
probably safe. But no one appears to know for sure.

That puts him in legal limbo, and it likely puts the rest of us in
information limbo. He may never know what he's facing legally (though his
lawyers have surely informed him that it's not much), therefore I don't
expect to hear any more about the issue.

Contrary to the information vacuum surrounding the drug issue, Limbaugh's
web site is still plastered over with images and links regarding Limbaugh's
other controversy - his racially charged analysis of the abilities of NFL
quarterback Donovan McNabb. Limbaugh's McNabb comments on ESPN, which led
to his resignation from the network, helped to blunt the scandal over the
drugs. Since the McNabb story preceded the pill story, it made the pill
story seem like a weird sideshow to the main event.

Limbaugh could stand the heat on the McNabb story. Indeed, if his Web site
is any indication, he has embraced the heat. That's essentially all he
talked about for the first three-hour show after the National Enquirer drug
story emerged. Perhaps Limbaugh had no idea his McNabb comments would
create such a firestorm. But it's hard to believe such a perpetual critic
of the supposedly hyperliberal mainstream media couldn't see it coming.
Limbaugh's McNabb comments and their aftermath sure did fill the painful
silence on his other controversy, and created the impression that he was
addressing a personal crisis, even as he completely ignored a more
significant personal crisis.

It looks as if Limbaugh has passed over his opportunity to analyze the
relationship between his own personal drug crisis and the national crisis
of the drug war. Instead he used his words to create a completely
different, and ultimately irrelevant, controversy. Or maybe it was all a
coincidence.

It's too bad either way. Limbaugh could focus a remarkable amount of
attention on the drug war and its opponents. But drug policy reformers can
take some comfort knowing Limbaugh's drug silence will cut both ways. By
this point, he's certainly too ashamed to open his big mouth in favor of
the drug war again.