Rush is why we can't elect GOP

As disappointed as I am with President Obama's flip-flops on withdrawing the troops from Iraq in 16 months; his failure to reduce wasteful spending and his cave-in to the insurance and pharmaceutical industries; the thought of a Republican winning in 2012 scares me.

I won't rehash the disastrous decisions of the Bush administration, because we are still experiencing the effects of those decisions today - a sluggish economy and two bungled wars. But to be fair, I should point out that there are now more troops and private contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan than when President Bush was in office. Which only proves that it is easy to start wars and very difficult to end them.

But that is not what scares me about a Republican administration; it is that the real pooh-bah of the Republican party is none other than the bombastic charlatan Rush Limbaugh, a master at disseminating thinly veiled hate through distortions and lies.

So powerful is the influence of this cowardly blowhard that not one Republican leader dares to stand up to Rush and rebuke him for any of the many outrageous comments he makes on a daily basis. In this time of threats to our national security there is no way that a party that is afraid of Rush Limbaugh can be trusted with the security of the country.

Victor Darst

West Dundee