No, he really means it.

RUSH LIMBAUGH CHALLENGES PRESIDENT OBAMA TO A DEBATE! This time I really wish I WAS kidding.

Yes, the king of the right wing (or if you live in Spokane WA, “That moderate guy on the radio.”) has challenged the President of the United States to come on his radio show and debate him. According to the AP:

“If these guys are so impressed with themselves, and if they are so sure of their correctness, why doesn't President Obama come on my show? We will do a one-on-one debate of ideas and policies,” Limbaugh said on his radio program Wednesday. “So let's have the debate! I am offering President Obama to come on this program — without staffers, without a TelePrompTer, without note cards — to debate me on the issues.”

OK, a few quick points here. In actual presidential debates, the participants ARE allowed note cards and even memo pads. Remember all those shots of Obama taking notes while his opponents were speaking? Also, all those things that Obama wouldn’t have, is Rush saying he’d give up those advantages too? Would he force all the staff of his radio show to leave the building? Lastly, “I’m offering President Obama to…” does Rush realize that he doesn’t own Obama and therefore can’t offer him to anyone or anything? For a man who insists English should be the national language, he should at least be able to get his possessives straight.

Enough nitpicking, let’s get down to the real issue at hand here. Who the Tartarus does Limbaugh think he is? Why would the President of the United States (or any sane person for that matter) debase themselves by coming on his show? The President has a lot to do such as running a country, helping his children grow up under a spotlight, ending wars, and using the toilet. All of which come well ahead of debating Rush Limbaugh.

All that said, I would LOVE to see a debate between these two because Barack Obama would tear that man (and I use the term loosely) into bite sized chunks. But I would have to insist on a fair debate. That means neutral territory. There is no way you are going to convince me that a debate hosted on Limbaugh’s own radio show would be even remotely impartial. For example, if Rush’s minions control the microphones, then they control who get’s to speak, when, and for how long. This is fair how?

Get the two of them on stage at some university or another and let the cameras roll. If Rush thinks he can hang in Obama’s league, then let it be a real debate, not a 90 second apiece “sound bite-off.” President Obama has made himself a reputation as the guy who gives you the long detailed answers and assumes you are smart enough to deal with it. I doubt Rush can even come close to matching that. This is a man who can’t go 3 sentences without stumbling over his words, repeating himself, or interjecting space fillers such as um and er. (Granted, the improvised nature of a live chat show contributes to this)

But back to my original point, it ain’t gonna happen because Rush Limbaugh isn’t worth the President’s time.

Until next time, I’m RyuSensei and I’m not kidding.