AFF's Doublethink

David Brooks’ column this morning is a guns-blazing assault on Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity and the rest of the conservative talk radio-sphere.

As Pete noted earlier, Brooks also has harsh words for those Republicans who ignorantly overestimate the influence of Limbaugh & Co. Let the record also show that Brooks is no more fond of “cynical Democrats, who love to claim that Rush Limbaugh controls the G.O.P.” Those cynics include White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, who presumably takes his orders from Barack Obama.

Now let me be clear about where I stand. I don’t listen to talk radio. I generally trust David Brooks’ instincts, but I won’t pretend I know enough to agree or disagree this time around. Limbaugh & Co. only make it onto my radar screen when the mainstream media cover them, which happens either when one of them says something outrageous or when the White House decides to crown them as the leaders of the GOP.