John Mainelli – New York Post March 21, 2003
NEW York's highest- rated radio talk-show hosts loaded their Scuds on opponents of the war yesterday.
And if you were looking for a debate on "Operation Iraqi Freedom," fuhgeddaboudit.
"I'm not messing with people who want to say this attack is illegal, it's not warranted, it's not justified - I'm not going to argue with you people anymore," WABC's Rush Limbaugh warned listeners yesterday.
"Take your propaganda to somebody else who might believe it," he said.
Likewise, WFAN's Don Imus ordered producer Bernard McGuirk to steer clear of guests "who come on and whine about how the president failed to explore all diplomatic avenues - just drop it because I'm not interested in having that discussion.
"We got stabbed in the back by those a******s in France and the rest of them," Imus railed. "Enough of Tom Daschle, who is disgraceful, and all the rest - enough of that."
WOR's Bob Grant said President Bush spent too much time listening to "pusillanimous pipsqueaks" like UN weapons inspector Hans Blix.
"I'm sick and tired of these left-wing America haters," Grant said. "I don't know who I hate the most: Tom Daschle, Saddam Hussein or Peter Jennings."
WABC and Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity blasted politicians who continued to criticize military action even after the President's final warning.
"I was stunned by Democrats making these partisan attacks on the eve of war - stunned," Hannity said.
Surprisingly, K-Rock's Howard Stern was - relatively speaking - the calmest of the top five yesterday.
"I hope our president doesn't do what his dad did," Stern told listeners. "He's got to finish the job - we've got to kill Hussein."
The shock jock read an e-mail that claimed one of Hussein's sons ordered 30 men dropped into a giant plastic-shredding machine.
"I'm trying to give people reasons to hate Hussein if you don't have enough reasons," Stern said. "Some people can't find the energy to hate him."
Limbaugh said he found it ironic that "all these journalists [who say] this war's not called for" seemed disappointed that there wasn't more to show on TV.
"They didn't express disappointment, but you could hear it in their voices that Baghdad wasn't being blown to smithereens last night," he said.
There were a few talk-show hosts who oppose the war: WABC's Ron Kuby and Richard Bey. But both of them are partnered on the air with pro-war sidekicks, Curtis Sliwa and Monica Crowley, respectively.
Last updated 29/03/2003
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