Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh: Odd "Retarded" Bedfellows

Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin are an odd pair.  My theory is that each despises the other, but knows that they are valuable for their career.  Limbaugh wishes to curry favor with the Republican party (which has been trying to disown him for some time now), whereas Palin is clawing for the spotlight and the fringe lunatic crowd.  

Circumstance has driven them together, and not even Limbaugh's profligate use of "the R word" shall drive them apart, apparently.  

Last August, Obama's Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel used the word "retarded" as a pejorative.  (And really, there is no longer a non-pejorative context for that word.)  Earlier in the month, the Wall Street Journal reported on Emanuel's use of the slur, which got Palin up in arms.

Palin's son Trig was born with Down's syndrome, so she has a personal stake in the issue.  On her Facebook page, the former governor of Alaska called for Emanuel's resignation.

Meanwhile, Rush Limbaugh was taking his classic "anti-politically correct" stance, and mocking people for being upset that Emanuel said "retarded."  In this radio clip Limbaugh first seems to be mocking Emanuel for apologizing, rather than being fired.  He then moves on to the meat of his argument, which is that if the slur fits, wear it:

"Our politically correct society is acting like some giant insult's taken place, by calling a bunch of people who are retards, retards."

Always one for the cheap laughs, that Limbaugh!  In Limbaugh's world, it's okay to call people "retards," especially if it's funny.

What I think is interesting is that Limbaugh is attacking Palin with this, because Palin had already come out strongly against Emanuel's use of the word "retarded."  So when Limbaugh attached "our politically correct society," he is attacking Sarah Palin.

However, Sarah Palin has gone on record defending Limbaugh's use of the word.  Although she called for Emanuel's head on a platter, more or less, she has repeatedly excused Limbaugh as using it "in the name of satire."  

The problem is that Limbaugh wasn't being satirical.  Satire would be if he had been using a silly Rahm Emanuel voice, and said "retarded."  Satire is not the same as "saying something offensive to be funny," which is what Limbaugh did.  

Clearly Palin is currying Limbaugh's favor, a thought which strikes me as terrifying in the extreme.  But on the other hand, if Sarah Palin is eager to get on your good side, then it isn't that good a side, if you follow me.  I don't half wonder if she's planning to groom Limbaugh to be a member of her campaign, or maybe she just wants his power behind her during her next Presidential run.  

Either way, Limbaugh is clearly the one with the upper hand in this.  I guess I would be more scared if he had the upper hand against someone with any shred of credibility left in the world.  But having the upper hand over Sarah Palin… at this point, that's like having the upper hand over Richard Reed, the shoe bomber.