RUSH: Here’s Condoleezza Rice from last night: America is based on an idea.

RICE: We are the most successful economic and political experiment in human history.

CONVENTION: (applause)

RICE: That is the true basis of American exceptionalism. You see, the essence of America — what really unites us — is not nationality or ethnicity or religion. It is an idea — and what an idea it is! That you can come from humble circumstances, and you can do great things. That it does not matter where you came from; it matters where you are going.

CONVENTION: (applause)

RICE: My fellow Americans, ours has never been a narrative of grievance and entitlement. We have never believed that I am doing poorly because you are doing well. We have never been jealous of one another and never envious of each other’s successes.

CONVENTION: (applause)

RUSH: Oh, yes, we have! That has been the trademark of the Democrat party my entire life. What she means is, a majority of Americans have not yet descended into that. That’s what this election is all about. But I’ll tell you about Condoleezza Rice. That speech, her presence, just epitomizes class. It just epitomizes dignity. Now, you and I watch Condoleezza Rice, or Susana Martinez or any of these other speakers, and we ask:

“How in the world does anybody ever get away with characterizing these people as racists, sexists, bigots, homophobes, thieves and thugs?” How does that ever happen? How has the Republican brand been so distorted with people like this? Say what you want about Bush; Bush was a classy individual, a dignified man. Dick Cheney, ditto. I have never understood it. I still don’t. I’ll admit to being naive. I don’t understand this idea that Dick Cheney’s Darth Vader.

Now, I know him personally, but he’s soft-spoken. This idea that — and they’ve made a lot of people believe it. Even some of Republicans talk about that contrast between Cheney and Ryan. “Yeah, that Ryan? They’re never gonna be able to characterize him as the Satan that Dick Cheney is.” I’ve never, ever, understood it. They did the same thing to Sarah Palin. I remember I blew up at dinner guests at my own house who started telling me what an idiot Palin is.

They actually weren’t saying that. They said, “We gotta throw Palin overboard. We can’t have her.”

“Why?”

“She’s been destroyed. It doesn’t matter what she says. She’s been destroyed. She’s a liability.”

“Well, who destroyed her? Did she destroy herself or did the media?”

“It doesn’t matter, Rush. She’s been destroyed.”

I said, “So you just sit there and you’re just gonna let our enemies determine who our candidates are and who our viable leaders are — and as they destroy them, you move on to the next one? And then they destroy that one, so you want to throw that one overboard? At what point does this stop?”

I remember yelling and screaming at dinner guests at my own house. I don’t understand this. I’ve never understood how they so easily get away with this demonization. Don’t tell me they’ve got the media on their side. I’m talking about how it is that people believe it. What mean thing has Dick Cheney ever done to anybody? Or Sarah Palin? They tried it with Condoleezza Rice, some of you may remember. When she was secretary of state for Bush, you remember some of the editorial cartoons depicting her as an Aunt Jemima-type figure?

Some of the hideous editorial cartoons exaggerating her racial characteristics, as cartoonists do, made her out to be some slave who was performing sex acts on Bush and that’s how she got the job. And then you hear her speak and you wonder, “How in the world does that stuff ever stick?” Now, with her I don’t necessarily think that it did, not as widely as it’s obviously stuck with Palin and Cheney. It does continually surprise me. It makes me wonder: Who are the people that fall for this? Who are these people that end up believing this? We know they’re morons, but how does it happen?

I know I sound naive and simplistic, but I can’t help it.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: I guess I should apologize. I talked about Condoleezza Rice here and I just realized I called Obama a racist. Well, Condoleezza Rice was just admitted into Augusta National, where Tiger Woods is a member and has played and has won championships — and, of course, Obama’s black and plays golf, and Tiger’s black and plays golf at Augusta, where Condoleezza Rice is a member. So I’m racist, according to the thinking at MSNBC.

I want you to hear a little bit of Nikki Haley, but first Tom Brokaw. This was NBC after Condoleezza Rice’s speech. Brian Williams: Tom… the dual wars our nation finds itself fighting. Longest in our nation’s history. Dr. Condoleezza Rice, one of the architects of those conflicts. What is your view of the absence of that kind of con…?” It doesn’t matter the question. Listen to what Brokaw says here…

BROKAW: What was so striking to me was one other line that she had. “It does not matter where you come from. It matters to where you’re going.” Well, to a lot of delegates on this floor, it does matter where President Obama came from because they’ve been very critical of his Kenyan father, who had a different faith than many of them would embrace. And they’ve raised lots of questions about where his ultimate loyalty is.

RUSH: (laughing) It does matter to these racist delegates where Obama came from! He’s totally distorting what Condoleezza Rice was trying to say. Totally distorting it. You know, people ask, “What does Tom Brokaw think of what has happened at NBC?” Hell, he’s in charge of it, for crying out loud! These people aren’t embarrassed by what they’ve become. They’re proud of who they are!