Rush Limbaugh Now Back on Radio
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: As we've been reporting, Rush Limbaugh is now back on the radio. He's back on the airwaves. Let's get some assessment, what that means for talk radio in the United States, the world of politics and beyond. Joining us, two of his colleagues, radio talk show host themselves, Larry Elder in Los Angeles, Bernie Ward is in San Francisco. Larry, first to you. How big of a deal is this, Rush Limbaugh back on the air?</s>LARRY ELDER, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Oh, it is a huge deal. He's got over 20 million listeners every day. He is far and away the biggest and most popular talk show host on radio in America. So it is a huge deal. I think the biggest concern, were I to be Rush Limbaugh, is my health. Not my legal problems, but my health. He allegedly took these pills because of back pain and because of his refusal to undergo continued back surgery. My concern is, after five weeks, is that enough time for him to, A, detox, and handle his back problem? If he's not on the drugs, does he have recurring back problems? That would be my primary concern, were I to be Rush.</s>BLITZER: What's your concern, if any, Bernie?</s>BERNIE WARD, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Well, there's a couple of concerns. He opened up this morning and said that he's now discovered that you can't do this by yourself. He said, I tried to do it by myself, and I can't. And there's a lot of other people I need help with and I had to get into a program. He said he's had to turn it over. It sounds something like 12- stepping (ph). So, therefore, the biggest problem is this: that he and those like him have for years denied that that works. They denied the money for detox programs, they've denied step programs, they've denied that the government could provide those things for people. In fact, his answer was, send all these people to jail. So if he goes on the air this morning, which he did, and says that you can't do this by yourself, now we're going to have to see whether he means that or not, and whether it affects his position on policies for others people that are drug-addicted as well. And I'm glad Larry pointed out the fact that this addiction was a choice of his. He didn't have to do it, and, therefore, he is in the camp with those who chose to use drugs on any level.</s>BLITZER: Larry...</s>ELDER: Bernie, to be fair to Rush, though, he did say also, a few years later, after he made the statement about people going up the river who use illegal drugs, that the</s>WARD: Well, I think it's wonderful that you say the government shouldn't handle it when you are rich and you can pay for it yourself. He's just done it three times. And for the people who can't do that, Limbaugh is saying they can't do it by themselves. The reactionaries say put them in jail. So I don't know what happens in this process.</s>BLITZER: All right. Bernie Ward, Larry Elder, unfortunately we have an abbreviated amount of time today because of the breaking news involving John Allen Muhammad. But let's consider this conversation later this week. Thanks to both of you for joining us.