Images of Rush Limbaugh

Radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh talks on a phone as House Speaker Newt Gingrich gestures during a break in taping of NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday Nov. 12, 1995 in Washington. The topic of the news show was showdown and shutdown in regards to the federal budget. Associated Press

In this Jan. 13, 2009 file photo, conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh talks with guests in the East Room of the White House in Washington. Limbaugh has been Topic A in the political world, with Republicans debating his influence on their party and Democrats trying to elevate the conservative radio host to the GOP's de facto spokesman. The skirmish has cast a bright light on the GOP and its search for leadership in the Obama era. But the personality-driven diversion has deflected attention from the deeper problems the party faces. Associated Press

In this Jan. 13, 2009 file photo, conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh talks with former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld in the East Room of the White House in Washington. Dick Cheney made clear Sunday he'd rather follow firebrand broadcaster Rush Limbaugh than former Joint Chiefs chairman Colin Powell into political battle over the future of the Republican Party. Associated Press

Conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh is seen on the sideline before the start of an NFL football game between New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009 in Indianapolis. Associated Press

Rush Limbaugh smiles after teeing off on the fourth hole of the Spyglass Hill Golf Course during the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in Pebble Beach, Calif. in this Thursday, Feb. 10, 2005 file photo. Limbaugh was detained for about three-and-a-half hours Monday at Palm Beach International Airport after authorities said they found a bottle of Viagra in his possession without a prescription. Associated Press

This photo provided by Rush Limbaugh shows Limbaugh in his Palm Beach, Fla. radio studio, the last week of Sept., 2009. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says he would not tolerate "divisive" comments from an NFL owner like the ones the talk show host made about Donovan McNabb in 2003. And Colts owner Jim Irsay says he would vote to bar Limbaugh if he tries to buy the St. Louis Rams. Associated Press

Washington state Republican gubernatorial candidate John Carlson, center, appears on stage with radio talk-show host Rush Limbaugh, left, and former U.S. Secretary of Education Bill Bennett at the annual GOP picnic in Puyallup, Wash., Saturday Aug. 26, 2000. Carlson is competing with state Sen. Harold Hochstatter of Moses Lake in the Sept. 19 state primary. Associated Press

Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh smokes a cigar as he waits his turn to tee off on the the seventh hole during the first round of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in LaQuinta, Calif., Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2003. Limbaugh is among the many celebrities participating in the five-day tournament. Associated Press

In this Jan. 13, 2009 file photo, conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh talks with guests in the East Room of the White House in Washington. Six months after Barack Obama's inauguration, a persistent and noisy legion of doubters won't let go of an already debunked claim, that he is actually a foreign-born, illegal president. Mainstream Republicans who want the issue to go away are having a tough time stamping it out as the so-called "birthers" resurface, with assists from talk show host Rush Limbaugh and CNN's Lou Dobbs. Associated Press

Conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh, shown in New York in this July 11, 2003, file photo, announced during his radio program Friday, Oct. 10, 2003, that he is addicted to painkillers and is checking into a a rehab center to ``break the hold this highly addictive medication has on me.'' Associated Press

Sen.-elect Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.), right, greets talk show host Rush Limbaugh during a reception for freshmen Republican congressmen and senators sponsored by the Heritage Foundation in Baltimore, Dec. 10, 1994. Associated Press

Conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh gestures while speaking during the National Association of Broadcasters convention in this Oct. 2, 2003 file photo taken in Philadelphia. Limbaugh announced Friday, June 11, 2004 that he and his wife, Marta, are divorcing. Associated Press

Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh speaks during the radio luncheon at the National Association of Broadcasters' annual convention, in this April 7, 1998 file photo, in Las Vegas. Radio commentator Rush Limbaugh told listeners Monday, Oct. 8, 2001 that he's virtually deaf but that he wants to continue his nationally syndicated talk show. Associated Press