The Foley Spin Award Goes to Limbaugh... Likens Alleged Pedophile to the Pope...Will Catholics Respond To El Rushbo's Heresy?

It was no surprise that the Right would muster a neck-breaking spin on the ex-Senator Mark Foley (R, Fla) bombshell. What was amazing was how sloppy and feeble it was.

Brit Hume likened it to Barney Frank.

Newt Gingrich said revealing the e-mails earler would have made it seem like "gay-bashing."

They all likened it to Clinton.

But, hands down, the award for the most idiotic and insidious was the Monster of the Talk Midway, Rush Limbaugh. Not that I listened to much of his show, but I tuned in just in time to hear the best (worst?) the Right had to offer.

This morning, El Rushbo retired the "Unfreaking Believable Excrement Spewing" trophy.

Limbaugh actually said that since there's no proof that Foley ever acted (on his proclivity for underage boys), his pedophile activities "were just words, like the Pope." He then mused as to "when the Muslims would go after this."

Then he drove home the senseless spin as only Rush could.

"The release of all this (Foley's e-mails) was not to save the children. It was not to take a predator off the streets. This was a strategic move to help the Democrats. They could have known it before the Republicans. It would appear so."

He then actually blamed the concealing of the e-mails on Nancy Pelosi.

Perhaps what he said and what he always says is true. You can never be sure. Mark Foley's behavior could be exactly like the Pope's. It would seem that one way to find out is to ask Catholics. Republican Catholics. Dittohead Catholics.

Was Limbaugh right? Was his spin the most ridiculous of the day? Could be either.

Then again, Sean Hannity's radio show is just beginning.

Steve Young is author of "Great Failures of the Extremely Successful" (Tall Fellow Press) and the wacky new children's novel, "15 Minutes" (HarperCollins)