From Media Matters, 09/21/2007:
Before MoveOn’s “General Betray Us,” there was Limbaugh’s “Senator Betrayus”
Summary: Rush Limbaugh has called the MoveOn.org “General Petraeus or General Betray Us?” advertisement “contemptible” and “indecent,” but months earlier, on his radio show, he told his audience that he had a new name for Senator Chuck Hagel: “Senator Betrayus.” Though Limbaugh has taken exception to accusations that he has attacked the patriotism of his political opponents, the “Senator Betrayus” remark is one of several instances in which Limbaugh has done so.
On September 10, MoveOn.org’s much-discussed advertisement headlined “General Petraeus or General Betray Us?” critical of Gen. David Petraeus, appeared in The New York Times. On the September 11 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Rush Limbaugh called the advertisement “contemptible” and “indecent.” However, months earlier, on his radio show, he told his audience that he had a new name for Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE): “Senator Betrayus.” On the January 25 broadcast (subscription required) of his radio show, Limbaugh broke from his commentary on an interview of Vice President Dick Cheney on the January 24 edition of CNN’s The Situation Room to say: “By the way, we had a caller call, couldn’t stay on the air, got a new name for Senator Hagel in Nebraska, we got General Petraeus and we got Senator Betrayus, new name for Senator Hagel.” A day earlier, Hagel had sided with Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in voting to approve a nonbinding resolution declaring that Bush’s escalation in Iraq was against “the national interest.”
In a September 10 blog post, Politico senior political writer Ben Smith reported that the General Betray Us ad “appears to have been borrowed indirectly from Rush Limbaugh and noted that “[a]ccording to a Free Republican [sic: Free Republic] diary, Rush took a call in January from a listener who suggested he contrast General Petraeus with Senator Chuck Betrayus — i.e., Hagel.” In the January 26 post Smith cited, Free Republic commenter “Recovering_Democrat” wrote that “Rush said on his show yesterday that a caller suggested the new name for Senator Hagel.”
Indeed, on the February 4 edition of ABC’s This Week, host George Stephanopoulos told Hagel that Limbaugh “calls you ‘Senator Betrayus.’ ” On the February 5 broadcast of his radio show, Limbaugh played an audio clip of Stephanopoulos telling Hagel that Limbaugh calls him “Senator Betrayus.” Limbaugh didn’t disavow the characterization; in fact, Limbaugh said in response to Hagel’s comments: “But note he doesn’t comment specifically on what I say. ‘Well, you know, Rush has to be somewhere, he can say whatever he wants,’ but didn’t dispute the substance of my point.”
On the September 14 edition of Fox News’ Fox & Friends, former Clinton White House special counsel Lanny Davis responded to questions about the MoveOn.org ad by suggesting that the ad was no less outrageous “than some of the hatemongering that I hear from Rush Limbaugh and some of the people on the right questioning the patriotism of people like MoveOn.org” and asking “why are you not questioning Rush Limbaugh attacking patriotism.” Fox News co-host and weatherman Steve Doocy said, “I’m sorry, but I don’t know what you’re talking about. I haven’t heard Rush Limbaugh do that. Later that day on his nationally syndicated radio show, Limbaugh played audio from Davis’ Fox & Friends appearance, and said: “I hope Fox does a program on me. I won’t participate in it because I don’t do that, but — what have I said? What in the world have I said? All I said was that they’re invested in defeat. I’ve said that it’s just — it’s unacceptable, it’s indecent the way they attack General Petraeus.”
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