"I hope he fails"

Rush Limbaugh's infamous statement a few weeks ago caused a lot of press (which, of course, was the idea--Limbaugh is nothing if not a master media whore). A shocking statement to be sure, even for someone who makes a living trying to be shocking.

I totally understand that he and his listeners are staunch conservative republicans, and that the focus of his show is to trash democrats. But does he really hope our new President fails?

Let me tell you--you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who dislikes George W. Bush more than me. But I never, ever--either publicly or privately--hoped he failed. In fact, I hoped beyond hope that he would succeed. Because when the President fails, we all fail. As it turns out, the former President did fail...and here we are.

The fact is, it's a luxury to hope someone fails. You have to be in the enviable position of knowing that if someone fails, you a) will be affected in a positive way, and/or b) will not be affected at all. For example, I have the luxury of hoping Limbaugh fails. I a) won't have to hear reports of the crap he spews, and b) since I don't listen to his show, his demise would have absolutely no effect on my life.

Both of these points are true for Mr. Limbaugh in his hope. If President Obama fails, the effect would be positive for Limbaugh in that he can rant about how he was right and perhaps expand his listening base. Obama's failure could, God forbid, make Limbaugh more popular than I can bear to think about. Financially, Limbaugh won't be affected at all. He just signed an 8-year, $400 million contract with Clear Channel. Bravo, Rush!

I suspect that most of us don't have the luxury of hoping our President fails. If he fails, those of us teetering on the brink of job loss, foreclosure or bankruptcy (or in many cases, all three), or who are watching our 401(k)s disappear, will fail right along with him.

For someone who considers himself a great patriot, I find Limbaugh's comment terribly unpatriotic. I'd love to hear what you think. Do you feel the same way, or do you agree with Al Franken (and me) that he is just a "Big Fat Idiot"?