Dems Keep Rush Push Alive

ABC News’ Rick Klein Reports: Think Democrats are enjoying the Rush Limbaugh wars — maybe just a little bit? This morning the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is having some fun. A new Website is up that purports to allow Republicans to fill out a Web form of an apology to El Rushbo himself, Mad Libs style. ImSorryRush.com has a few choices of how to craft the apology — you either meant to say Limbaugh is "inspiring," "thought provoking," or "worthy of enormous respect," even if you really said initially that he’s, perhaps, "an opportunistic brick thrower." And President Obama’s 2008 campaign manager, David Plouffe, reads from the same playbook — assuming he isn’t writing it. "Minority Leader Limbaugh," reads the headline on Plouffe’s Washington Post op-ed. What’s behind it? It’s hardly a secret that this is a battle Democrats love — that’s one reason White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs has engaged Limbaugh from the podium two straight days, asking reporters to ask whether Republicans agree with Rush when he says he wants the president to "fail." And Rush, for obvious reasons that may or may not be related to his ratings, is more than willing to play along. Behind any good strategy is some good internal polling: Politico’s Jonathan Martin reports that the build-up-Rush strategy started to come into focus even before Obama won the election. "The strategy took shape after Democrats included Limbaugh’s name in an October poll and learned their longtime tormentor was deeply unpopular with many Americans. Then the conservative talk-radio host emerged as an unapologetic critic of Barack Obama shortly before his inauguration, when even many Republicans were showering him with praise," he writes.