Palm Beach Post Slaps Down Tom Harkin

When Sen. Tom Harkin dropped the level of Senate debate to new lows the other day by making unfounded drug allegations against Rush Limbaugh, I was wondering if anyone in the press would come to Limbaugh's defense. Well, someone did. The Palm Beach Post, Rush's hometown newspaper and no fan of conservatives, did the research as part of an interview with Rush in today's paper:

No, Sen. Tom Harkin, radio talker Rush Limbaugh isn't back on drugs!

So says the state of Florida. And Limbaugh himself, who told Page Two, as he enters his last month on probation for a narcotics arrest, that he doesn't even miss getting high and now feels like a better person.

And a much richer one: According to records, he'll have made an estimated $50 million while on conditional liberty.

"All's well that ends well," he said, contemplating the Oct. 31 finish of his 18-month probation, barring unforeseen trouble. "But I tell myself sometimes: 'I can't believe I did this s—-.' "

In a rare interview, Limbaugh - who just this week created a firestorm by calling antiwar service members "phony soldiers," prompting Iowa Democrat Harkin's comment from the floor of the U.S. Senate - says he isn't bitter. Never mind that the justice system forced him to fill out monthly reports on his whereabouts, get tested and attend therapy.

"The system is what it is," Limbaugh, 56, said from his oceanfront compound in Palm Beach. "I became addicted to drugs because of a medical condition" - a bad back - "and I'm convinced now that most addicts come to a point where they do drugs just to stave off withdrawal.

"The only thing I regret is that, because of legal and business reasons, I haven't been able to tell my story. But I'll ponder how I could start sharing because I've often wanted to."

Partly, Limbaugh wants to tell the world how he managed to beat the up to 70 percent relapse rate after spending five weeks in an Arizona drug treatment center in 2003. Of 10 people Limbaugh met there and stayed in touch with, including two NFL quarterbacks and several CEOs he didn't identify, seven have fallen back.

"I have had no desire" for narcotics, he said. "But I plan on continuing therapy even after the probation. It's been extremely important and valuable to me."

Perhaps someone can point this out to Sen. Harkin and Elizabeth "Pit Poodle" Edwards.