COLUMNIST TRUMPETS RUSH'S STRONG POINTS AS A FOOTBALL ANALYST

Though RUSH LIMBAUGH was more than gracious to ABC and producer Don Ohlmeyer when he was passed over for the "Monday Night Football" spot ... many were surprised and expressed their feelings in columns like the following:

Monday night political football: I can't believe ABC has hired Dennis Miller to be a color commentator on "Monday Night Football" over Rush Limbaugh.

No matter what they say, this was not a business decision by ABC/Disney execs. This was a political decision.

First of all, Dennis Miller is a foul-mouthed, profane, unfunny jerk. His constituency, as ABC will soon find out, is extremely narrow. More to the point, as a so-called comedian, he is every bit as political as Rush Limbaugh just not nearly so well-informed.

Nevertheless, saying the goal was to develop a broadcast that was "relevant, accessible and unpredictable," "Monday Night Football" producer Don Ohlmeyer announced it will be Miller joining Dan Fouts and Al Michaels in the booth.

Miller said he has a "nerd's knowledge of football" and "hoped to bring some humor to the booth." He said he planned to continue doing his weekly "adult" comedy show on HBO.

And that's an interesting comment, given that the stated reason Ohlmeyer passed on Rush Limbaugh, who he determined to be a viable candidate, was his concern that with the daily radio show he might not be able to dedicate the requisite time to the weekly football show. Ohlmeyer added that Limbaugh might do some guest spots on "Monday Night Football."

ABC is obviously confused about who Rush Limbaugh really is. Evidently it's time for a refresher course.

CNN reported recently ABC's agonizing over Rush. The story illustrates just how confused the establishment media are about Limbaugh.

The correspondent asked: "What other candidate for the job has had a best-selling book written about him with the words big fat idiot' in the title?"

Huh? Yes, there was a book written by Al Franken with Rush Limbaugh's name in the title. I'm not sure it was ever a best seller. But what CNN failed to point out was that Rush Limbaugh has authored two best sellers himself: "The Way Things Ought to Be" and "See, I Told You So." Each sold millions and millions of copies far more than Al Franken's book which only sought to exploit Limbaugh's fame. And each dealt with substantive issues in a most entertaining way.

His two books probably sold more copies that any other nonfiction author in the 1990s. Yet, CNN references only Franken's pathetic, little idiotic tome.

But not only has Rush made publishing history as an author, he helped make best-selling authors of others. William Bennett's "Book of Virtues" took off after Rush promoted it on the air. David Brock's "The Real Anita Hill" zoomed to the top of the charts after Rush's plugs. Rush has demonstrated time and time again that he can sell books better than any other living figure. A simple endorsement is all it takes.

Then, of course, there are his broadcasting achievements. It is not an overstatement to say that Rush Limbaugh saved AM radio. What he accomplished in talk radio syndication was unprecedented. And it came at a time when the industry was beginning to wonder about the future of AM.

More than 20 million people listen to Rush regularly. Does ABC have any appreciation for what it takes to get 20 million people listening to anything in the daytime? I don't think so.

The truth is that Rush might have been the only man alive in America today with enough juice to turn "Monday Night Football" around. Think about it. Who else could do that? Is there a Howard Cosell out there somewhere eluding my attention? It's not Dennis Miller not by a long shot.

As I mentioned in my previous column on this topic, just the possibility of Rush filing the job at ABC has garnered the network more publicity for "Monday Night Football" than I have seen in a decade.

Tell me what ABC officials are afraid of? Do they really think Rush is going to use his position at "Monday Night Football" to make political points? Is that what they think Rush Limbaugh is? He has 15 hours of radio a week in which to make his political points. He wants the "Monday Night Football" job to talk about football. Just watch Dennis Miller, on the other hand. This man comes to the broadcast with an agenda all his own. It's called pushing the envelope of taste and propriety.

As to the time constraints facing Rush, let me tell you something. Rush Limbaugh is a workaholic. He would have treated the ABC football gig for what it is: a part-time job, fun, a hobby. He would have made it look easy. He could have done it in his sleep.

Rush Limbaugh is not a one-dimensional figure. I know him not only through his work, but as a friend and colleague.

What the folks at ABC and CNN and the rest of the establishment media don't get is that Rush Limbaugh is simply one of the best entertainers in the world today.

How can someone so famous be so misunderstood? This is a man destined for the broadcast hall of fame. He's an innovator, a pioneer, a prodigy. He's the savior of AM radio, and he could have been the savior of "Monday Night Football."

This should have been an easy call for ABC. The network should have thanked its lucky stars Limbaugh was even interested in the job. This isn't just a gift horse they looked in the mouth. This is a Triple Crown winner.

Ah, but then again, this was ABC/Disney. Why should I be surprised? -- Joseph Farah, World Net Daily

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"Do you want to be first or right?" It's a question with which the news media often have to deal. Our newspaper wants to be both, but we won't sacrifice the right to be first or print early what might hurt our community, business, industry or readers.

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Independent counsel Robert Ray never spoke to Billy Dale! On the June 24 edition of "The Judicial Watch Report," Billy Dale stated that he was never contacted by independent counsel Robert Ray regarding his firsthand knowledge of the Travelgate scandal. Ray, similar to his actions in Filegate, has closed the investigation without obtaining all of the facts or interviewing the key players. Also publicly disclosed for the first time was the fact that former bar bouncer and chief of White House personnel security, Craig Livingstone, personally escorted Mr. Dale out of his workplace after he was fired. The incident occurred one week before Mr. Dale's planned retirement.

Joining in the discussion with Bill Dale was author of "Hell to Pay," Barbara Olson. Mrs. Olson, a former prosecutor, strongly stated in response to Robert Ray's inaction that "I clearly would have brought an indictment" in the Travelgate matter. Barbara was also responsible for uncovering the misuse of Billy Dale's FBI file, sparking the Filegate scandal in 1996.

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More e-mail: Here are some bumper stickers we would like to see:

He who laughs last thinks slowest.

Everyone has a photographic memory. Some don't have film.

A day without sunshine is like, well, night.

On the other hand, you have different fingers.

Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.

I just got lost in thought. It was unfamiliar territory.

When the chips are down, the buffalo is empty.

Seen it all, done it all, can't remember most of it.

Those who live by the sword get shot by those who don't.

I feel like I'm diagonally parked in a parallel universe.

You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be misquoted, then used against you.

I wonder how much deeper the ocean would be without sponges.

Honk if you love peace and quiet.

Despite the cost of living, have you noticed how it remains so popular?

Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.

It is hard to understand how a cemetery raised its burial cost and blamed it on the cost of living.

~Gary Rust is president of Rust Communications, which owns the Southeast Missourian and other newspapers.