A betrayal of trust

Bill Bennett is a gambler and Rush Limbaugh is a drug addict. Isn't it possible to find conservative leaders who practice what they preach? I know there will be many outraged Republicans who will argue that it is unfair to castigate these men for their relatively minor offenses - gambling is legal and drugs should be - when there are plenty of far more egregious offenses committed by the leadership of the left, but accountability on the level of Caesar's wife is an integral part of the game if you are going to stand up for the good, the right and the true.

Please don't misunderstand me. I am not saying this from a sanctimonious, holier-than-thou perspective. I assure you, I've quite likely done worse than either of these two good men, which is why I am so very grateful to my Lord Jesus Christ. He forgives, and so too we must forgive when forgiveness is requested.

Nevertheless, there is a public trust that one is expected to uphold as a conservative voice. Mr. Limbaugh, like Mr. Bennett before him, has betrayed that trust. Is the betrayal a fatal one? Should his fans abandon him over it? No, I don't think so. There is a vital difference between cynical hypocrisy and a failure to meet one's own high standards. But I do hope that this experience will encourage Mr. Limbaugh to rethink his position on the abominable and unconstitutional War on Drugs. By his own lights, Mr. Limbaugh may well consider himself to be a criminal of sorts; I do not.

In any event, I wish Mr. Limbaugh very well, and hope that he will return from this challenge stronger, more determined and more successful than before.