Michael Steele groveling at Rush Limbaugh‘s feet on Monday was pathetic enough:

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele says he has reached out to Rush Limbaugh to tell him he meant no offense when he referred to the popular conservative radio host as an “entertainer” whose show can be “incendiary.”

“My intent was not to go after Rush – I have enormous respect for Rush Limbaugh,” Steele said in a telephone interview. “I was maybe a little bit inarticulate. … There was no attempt on my part to diminish his voice or his leadership.”
[...]
“I went back at that tape and I realized words that I said weren’t what I was thinking,” Steele said. “It was one of those things where I thinking (sic) I was saying one thing, and it came out differently. What I was trying to say was a lot of people … want to make Rush the scapegoat, the bogeyman, and he’s not.”

” … I wasn’t trying to slam him or anything.”
[...]
… “Number two, there are those out there who want to look at what he’s saying as incendiary and divisive and ugly. That’s what I was trying to say. It didn’t come out that way.

But now that those two have settled who’s the de facto leader of the Republican Party, leading conservatives are starting to fall all over themselves to kiss Limbaugh’s ugly, incendiary ass.

This is clearly an escalation from where we were last week, when only those who had sinned by criticizing Limbaugh publicly were required, in penance, to grovel and suck up to him in public. Now we are starting to witness entirely gratuitous statements of fealty and worship even from those who haven’t committed the sin of heresy:

The most recent offering of support came from Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal who on Monday night said that he was glad to see RNC Chairman Michael Steele apologize to Limbaugh after Steele had called the conservative talk show host’s program “incendiary” and “ugly.”

“I’m glad he apologized,” said Jindal, appearing on CNN‘s Larry King Live. “I think the chairman is a breath of fresh air for the party. As I said before I think Rush is a leader for many conservatives and says things that people are concerned about.”

I can’t rightly say I know about him being a leader for many conservatives, but Bobby sure got it right when he brought up Limbaugh saying things that people are concerned about.

For instance, here are some choice things he’s said that many people are concerned about:

I mean, let’s face it, we didn’t have slavery in this country for over 100 years because it was a bad thing. Quite the opposite: slavery built the South. I’m not saying we should bring it back; I’m just saying it had its merits. For one thing, the streets were safer after dark.

You know who deserves a posthumous Medal of Honor? James Earl Ray [the confessed assassin of Martin Luther King]. We miss you, James. Godspeed.

Have you ever noticed how all composite pictures of wanted criminals resemble Jesse Jackson?

The NAACP should have riot rehearsal. They should get a liquor store and practice robberies.

As the Republican deification of Limbaugh continues to gather steam, let’s remember that this is who Limbaugh really is—the vilest kind of ugly-ass racist hatemonger.