Profiles in cowardice

When the history of the 2012 Presidential election is written, I suspect the imbroglio between Rush Limbaugh and Sandra Fluke to be a mere footnote to the larger issue of the Republican Party deciding to alienate 73% of the women in this country by getting into a tussle over contraception.

But even small windows have views, and the path of Rush Limbaugh from mocking – in the vilest terms imaginable – the unassuming Ms. Fluke to “apologizing” to her via a posting on his website revealed the ugly specter of a group of hollow Republican “leaders” too timid to tell Rush off.

Save, in fairness, for Scott Brown.

Let’s run off a few, shall we?

John Boehner (through a spokesman!): “The speaker obviously believes the use of those words was inappropriate, as is trying to raise money off the situation.”

Rick Santorum: “Well, he’s taking — you know, he’s being absurd. But that’s, you know, an entertainer can be absurd. And — and he’s taking the absurd, you know, the absurd — absurd, you know, sort of, you know, point of view here as to how — how far do you go? And, look, I’m — he’s — he’s in a very different business than I am.”

And then there’s Mitt Romney: “I’ll just say this, which is, it’s not the language I would have used.”

I suggested a few days ago that perhaps the problem with certain GOP leaders was they didn’t have daughters. Sadly, both Boehner and Santorum do; I’m sure they’d respond exactly the same way if Rush was calling Lindsay Boehner a slut and suggesting that Elizabeth Santorum make a sex tape.

[Does anyone else remember what happened when David Shuster said that Chelsea Clinton was being “pimped out” by her mother?]

So – back to Mitt. What language, exactly, would you have used to call Sandra Fluke a slut and a prostitute?

If ever there was an opportunity for a politician perceived as weak, vacillating, and living in fear of the GOP base to demonstrate, for one, brief, shining moment, that he was not, this was it.  And he blew it.

They’re called ‘Sister Soulja moments‘ because they are, in fact, moments.

How hard is it to say that while you may disagree with Ms. Fluke’s position (and, quite frankly, Romney may not know whether he disagrees with it or not), the language was despicable and vile, and that Mr. Limbaugh owes Ms. Fluke a personal apology?

Apparently, when you put your soul in a blind trust in order to win the Presidency, it’s damn near impossible.

Anyway, I have a fantasy that, after the third and final debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, when Obama is leading by enough to make his reelection virtually inevitable, he says to Romney, as they’re shaking hands, “In case you’re wondering, ‘I’ll just say this – it’s not the language I would have used’ is when I decided to kick your ass.”

I mean, are any of these people human?