I am amazed. Who is it blowing up the country? There must be 11 or 12 cities that are having terrorist attacks going off in the first two episodes last night. Who’s doing it? Yeah, we may have a limp-wristed administration, but, folks, can you think ahead to the future of what a Democrat administration might actually be? What do you mean, politically correct? The whole Democratic Party treats this issue that way. This is all my interpretation. But besides all of that, it’s a television show! It’s one of the best television shows I’ve ever seen. You can’t get up from your chair. The action is riveting, the plot twists. You can watch it or not, I don’t know how if you start it you can stop it. You get caught up in all these things that you think are messages or “liberals are taking over the show this year” or what have you.
I have the advantage of having seen six more episodes than you have because I’ve seen the first eight, and from the standpoint of unexpected, shocking, “I-can’t-believe-I-just-saw-that” surprises, to, “Gee, could that really happen?” I get tired of the wimps in the White House, too, but friends, is that something new? If these guys were trying to send a real, real message they’d be doing something in the policy arena, not doing a television show. Maybe I disconnect with some of you on this. I know it’s not all of you. I didn’t get that many e-mails. I got some last night, too, when the show was airing, and far more of them are just gushing with praise for the show, so don’t get the wrong idea here. I think where there may be a disconnect is, is that I look at this show and I marvel at how they do it. I marvel at the production. They do two shows at a time, two shows every three weeks. They really blow things up. They do things in a television show that are reserved for movies and that take months to produce.
The writing, the plot twists, the things that are inserted in this program that keep you glued to your chair and have you exhausted when it’s over, just from a creative standpoint, with all the television shows that are out there competing against them and so forth, just that alone, the creativeness, the writing, the production, it blows me away. That was the first thing that caught my eye. I didn’t even know these guys that do this show. I didn’t meet them until I watched the first two episodes. I marveled at it then, and my appreciation for it has only increased. Do you realize most television shows in the sixth season have had their jump-the-shark moment and they’re finished, and they’ve started declining? There are exceptions, but most of them are unlike this one. This season six is more jam-packed, has got more production value, it’s got more of everything every season’s had. It’s gotten better. It just keeps getting better. So if I were you, I wouldn’t get all concerned and panicked and sidetracked about the politics of this, because as you know over the course of a season all that stuff evens out. And, by the way, their audience is the country.
Now, let me tell you something else. Do you know that the — I learned this I guess about a year ago — the worldwide audience for “24” dwarfs the US market in terms of DVD sales and a number of things. You know why? This was not intended, by the way. But in a lot of countries around the world, people love seeing the US get bombed. They love it. So they’ve got a worldwide market with this show here, primarily serving the (interruption) I know TooJay’s is here. I just saw him deliver (interruption) well, whoopee. Whoopee. What good does that do me? TooJay’s is the place that provides lunch for the staff and sometimes I steal some of what they get, and of course, we have standing orders, stuff supposed to be here by 11 o’clock, shows up at five minutes after 12 today when it’s useless to me. You guys go ahead and chow down while you work. I cannot, but I’m not bitter about it. People say they’re going to do something at a certain time and they don’t, repeatedly, it gets to being a problem.
Anyway, folks, I’m telling you, these two episodes tonight, just sit back. By the way, I did a little interview for Fox last week that they didn’t use much of on their Martha MacCallum show at one o’clock, which is on the same time I am. I gave one of the little answers to a question, I said, “You civil libertarians are going to love the first four or five episodes of this.” What I meant by that was the left wants terrorists to be treated with lawyers and so forth, like is happening, by the way, judges taking over the war on terror and so forth. I said, “You liberals are going to love this, you civil libertarians are going to love it.” I warned you people that there’s some things, but it’s a TV show. I can marvel at the brilliance and the genius that goes into producing it. All I know is, it’s in the entertainment medium and when I sit down to watch it I can’t stop. That to me makes it a good show. I don’t get wrapped up in all the other stuff that some people, a relatively few, but as I say, you still make me impatient.
Maybe I’m taking this too personally. Maybe I tell people it’s a great show, and I get little sniffy, sniveling, “I don’t think it’s a great show. I think they’re coddling terrorists, nah-nah-nah-nah-nah-nah,” oh, come on. Rejecting my recommendation flat out like that. Maybe I’m taking it as a personal insult, who knows.
Let’s go to the phones and let’s deal with this so we can move on, because there are lots of things here. I’ve got to talk to you about this North Carolina situation with the Duke lacrosse players. This is outrageous. I have got to talk to you about President Bush going on 60 Minutes last night. I do not understand why in the world anybody in this administration would go on 60 Minutes, anything to do with CBS, after they’ve made heroes out of Bob Woodward, Bill Clinton, Joe Wilson, Richard Clarke, and after the forged document fiasco with Dan Rather. Don’t tell me we gotta reach a big audience. Nope. We already know that CBS and their pre-broadcast press release totally misrepresented what the president said about admitting that he had made mistakes and so forth. I don’t understand it. I just don’t. Then there’s something amazing happened in New Jersey in the education system. We got to tell you about that. Lots of stuff here to do. But we start with the phones. Bob in Eatonville, Washington, you’re first on the EIB Network. Hello, sir.
CALLER: Yes, Rush, mega dittos and all that good stuff. Hey, I’ll calling about, you know, up here in this Democratic state of Washington I’m one of the few conservatives that’s left up here. I’m at the base of the Mount Rainier, and they’re running me up the hill. The problem I got with your show is you keep evaluating all these TV shows like “24”. What are you, a shill for Fox and all these people?
RUSH: Wait a minute, what other TV show — wait a second — what other TV shows am I shilling for? You said all these TV shows like “24”.
CALLER: Well, yeah.
RUSH: Well, what other TV shows am I shilling for?
CALLER: Well, “24” is just good enough. You’ve been talking on it now for 25 minutes since you came on.
RUSH: Let me tell you, because my review and assessment of the program was challenged by a bunch people who subscribe to my website.
CALLER: Is that all it is, is about a buck?
RUSH: What?
CALLER: Is that all it is, is about a dollar?
RUSH: Oh, a buck.
CALLER: Yeah, I don’t know what you charge, I’m not fortunate to be hooked up to no Internet or none of this stuff here, but I listen to your show and I’ve been listening to it religiously since 9/11 —
RUSH: Well, then what’s the problem?
CALLER: I’m watching you change, man, you’re getting off from the conservative point of view. You’re talking about fictional stuff. You might as well be talking about Schwarzenegger and Clooney and those people.
RUSH: You know something? This is one of the problems Bob, now seriously.
CALLER: Okay, let’s go.
RUSH: You’ve been listening since 9/11?
CALLER: That’s correct.
RUSH: I started this show in 1988. This show has always run the gamut. This show is not politics wall-to-wall and if it ever got that, I would get bored. If you’ve ever heard me on Open Line Friday say, “Monday through Thursday, we talk about what interests me,” and I’m willing to roll the dice. This is not about a buck, this is about me doing a show I want to do and being happy in the process, and I love to share the things in my life that I enjoy. I want people to enjoy ’em, too. That’s all this is about. I’m not shilling for anybody.
CALLER: Well, Rush, maybe that was a little harsh word and all this. I apologize if I offended you in any way, but I think that people that I hang around with up here in the hills, we listen to you and Sean Hannity and Michael Savage and the rest of these guys because we don’t get any other point of view up here in this state. And let me tell you, when all I hear is “24” —
RUSH: That’s not all you hear. You know what? I didn’t even talk about “24” on Friday. I didn’t talk about it Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday last week. I talked about it one day, last week. I talked about it today because it premiered last night.
CALLER: Yeah, but you talked about it two, three weeks ago when you got all eight versions —
RUSH: And that’s the real problem. I got all eight episodes and nobody else did, and that’s not fair and it’s not right. Look, we don’t need to apologize. I’m happy you called here and asked for an explanation of things.
But we talk about all kind of things that go above and beyond politics. But you know something, Bob, even those things that are not directly tied to politics always end up having a political point. Look at what these people are upset about the show, that we’re coddling terrorists! That’s right up the ally of what we talk about on this program regarding the war on terror and the war in Iraq. But you don’t need to apologize and I don’t care if you sound harsh.
Some people are snobs and some people aren’t, and if they’re snobs, you can’t change them. We have snobs just like we have nice people. I’m not saying you’re a snob. You weren’t harsh. Doesn’t bother me. I’m happy for the opportunity to explain to you what this is all about. Keep in mind, we have now extended the “24” discussion four minutes because of your call. So I theoretically could blame you for keeping the “24” discussion going. You could have said nothing about it, and I’d have dropped it and moved on to things you want to hear. Who’s next on this? Where we going next, Snerdley? Come on. It doesn’t show up here.
RUSH: You’re doing a TooJay’s on me, making we wait. Dave in Valparaiso, Indiana, welcome to the program.
CALLER: Mega dittos, Rush, from a disgruntled Rush baby —
RUSH: Is this a call about “24”?
CALLER: No, it is not.
RUSH: Never mind, we’re not talking about anything but “24”. I’m going to put you back on hold. Give me line three, don’t go away, Dave, I want to get this stuff out of the way, Snerdley. Dave in Alexandria, Virginia. Hi, welcome to the program.
CALLER: Yeah hi, Rush, thanks for taking to my call.
RUSH: You bet.
CALLER: I’ve been dying to talk to you since I saw “24” last night.
RUSH: Yes.
CALLER: The first ten minutes about negotiating Jack Bauer over to the terrorists. I just couldn’t help but think —
RUSH: Look it, one of the themes —
CALLER: — policy.
RUSH: One of the themes in this show, and it’s amusing to me, I sit here and laugh at it, but there are devices that people that write and produce TV shows have to use. Jack Bauer for five years has never been wrong in what he has told his bosses is going to happen regarding the enemy of that season, and yet every episode there’s somebody in a position of power from the president on down that thinks Bauer doesn’t know what he’s talking about. That’s totally unrealistic. I’m able to overlook it. The idea last night that the show opened negotiating with terrorists — you know, when I first watched it, that didn’t even strike me because I’m not looking for those kind of things in this show. I just take what they give me and enjoy it.
But I got an e-mail from somebody who had seen the first episode, “I can’t believe we’re negotiating with terrorists! Don’t they know that we–” meaning the writers. Well, I’m sorry, that’s the first time I considered it. But I have to tell you, John Kerry has been negotiating with terrorists, a bunch of senators have gone over and met with Bashar Assad. You think there aren’t Americans who won’t try to negotiate with terrorists? The Iraq surrender group advocates negotiating with Iran and Syria and terrorists. There’s clearly an element of the American political spectrum that would do it. And who knows? Maybe that’s who’s been elected in this fictional TV show. But I don’t watch it for this stuff. I can’t see getting mad over this. I just can’t.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: Okay, let me try this again. There is a new wave of, “I can’t watch this show. This silly PC business of going out of their way not to offend the Muslims, it’s just too much, Rush, I can’t watch it and I can’t believe you’re talking about it.” Okay. Let’s talk about the show being written so as not to offend Muslims. What is happening in the show? America is going up in flames! Cities, not big ones either, heartland cities are being bombed to smithereens. There are suicide bombs for the first time on this program, and they are militant Islamists. How in the world is that — I don’t understand this, I don’t want to shout — how in the world is that not trying to offend Muslims? Now, if you mean the way the wimp administration is dealing with it, folks, don’t you understand, that’s one of the major threats we’re having political arguments in this country about?
There’s a whole segment of the political element in this country which is bent on not offending Muslims from the Supreme Court down. If you want to start reading between the lines on the show, which I don’t do, maybe you could say to yourself that they’re showing you what such an administration would be like. Regardless if it’s a Republican or Democrat, forget that. Oh, Allah Akbar, whatever. That’s the last I’m going to say about it.