Tom wrote: "If there is a Public Enemy Number One for the Left, it's Rush. You don't have fear and blind hatred for someone you consider an ineffectual fraud."

Correct, Tom. Thats why I and most confident well-read liberals neither fear nor hate Rush. I think he is more of a McCarthy without power. A sad pathetic figure who thankfully, never had any significant modality to his will. His secret life of addiction, that flies in the face of everything he claimed to believe, and then pawned off (in the same fashion that he always used to lambast) now onto 'back pain and doctors', simply confirms, at least for me, my estimation of the man.

Rush never impressed me much. He was the king of cherry pickers and mis-quoters, with a fantastic speaking voice and a very literate look-and-feel. He could have made a great TV preacher, or a great car salesman. And I trust his correctness in matters of fact just as much as I trust either of those 'types' of professional.

and now hes gone. Given the nature of his addiction, I doubt we will hear much from him except tragedy and decline.

I have seen loved ones struggle with addiction, and on one level I am very sympathetic for the man. But I heard him many times lambast junkies who 'refused to take responsibility', and heard him push harder and more judgmental drug laws and enforcement- throw away the key basically (yeah, back when I had more time, I used to listen to him).

Its like when you hear that one of those 'Gay Plague' type of preachers is suffering from aids, or that Jimmy Swaggert was a pornophile... It makes one wonder if there might be some Great Anthropomorphic Justice of the Universe just waiting for hypocrites and those of great hubris and judgement.

Davin L