Rush Limbaugh talks Krystal Ball's racy pictures...."ornaments on Clinton's Christmas tree"

Conservative talk radio maven Rush Limbaugh has weighed in on the controversy surrounding the racy pictures of Democrat Krystal Ball, and he is quick to tell Ball that she is not the first politician to face damaging information from her past.

The photos of Ball, who is running against Republican Rep. Rob Wittman, leaked onto the Internet last week when a pair of conservative bloggers posted the holiday pictures - which include a nose that doubles as a sex toy.

Ball has condemned the leak as a sexist smear campaign, but Limbaugh takes on her historical perspective. Limbaugh compares Ball to Demi Moore and goes on to try to explain exactly what is going in the photos - which is a pretty tough task for a conservative talker who doesn't want to offend his audience or the good folks at the FCC. Limbaugh's demure description might explain why "Krystal Ball racy photos" was the top Google search yesterday afternoon.

But Limbaugh also asks some interesting questions too wondering how many people could pass "an average media exam of our life?" Many people find out that those test are easy to flunk. Limbaugh also goes on to say that the pictures as "fairly innocuous compared to what the kids are putting up there today" joking about the emergence of "MySpace, MyButt, Facebook, all these places out there.

And because the old culture wars never really die - Limbaugh finally finds a way to describe the photos - "The photos look like ornaments you would see on Bill Clinton's Christmas tree."

Here's the transcript - with emphasis added - and here's a link to Limbaughs page where if you're a Rush 24/7 member you can even listen to the replay. I can't believe that I'm not still a Rush 24/7 member, I must have let that expire with my subscription to TigerBeat Magazine.

RUSH: Let me get to the audio sound bite number 21. This is yesterday on "Lean Forward; It Won't Hurt Much," MSNBC, Dylan Ratigan's show. He interviewed Virginia Democrat congressional nominee Krystal Ball. That's with a K. And during a discussion about an alleged double standard in politics regarding racy photos of male versus female candidates Ratigan says, "Krystal, can you explain a double standard?" I saw a picture of this woman, and at first, just to... Since this is about "racy photos..." There are "racy photos" of her out there and she's complaining about it, just so you'll know. I happened to see this woman on TV 45 minutes ago now and then I noticed we have the sound bite here on the roster, and I thought I was looking at Demi Moore at first. That's what she looks like. So now the question: "Krystal, can you explain the double standard as you see it?"

KRYSTAL BALL: For years women have been delegitimized and denigrated by being portrayed as whores, and I can't believe that I'm on your show saying that word, but I think that's true. The new twist is that now that we have Facebook, now that so many of us live so much of our lives online and so much of it is recorded digitally, what does that mean? I think I'm sort of the first person who's had to face this particular thing, but I certainly don't think I'm the last. So part of the reason that I believe this story has gotten so much traction is simply because we have to ask ourselves as a society, as people of my generation, both young men and young women [who] come of age and decide to run for office: How are we gonna handle this particular issue?

RUSH: (laughing) I should not admit this, but... Let me find the appropriate thing here in the sound bite to react to. "I think I am the first sort of person who'd had to face this particular thing." Krystal, I'm sorry, I don't know what you've had to "face." I don't know what news outlet has reported on whatever you've had to face, but I, El Rushbo, don't know what it is. Do you know, Snerdley? Have you...? (interruption) I don't know what it is. (interruption) Well, of course racy pictures. I understand this, too. I was one of the ones who first sounded the warning bell about all these young people who want to vomit every bit of information about themselves on MySpace, My Butt, Facebook, all these places out there. They're totally willing to give up their anonymity.

Everybody wants 15 minutes of fame and will do anything to get on TV. I said, "This is gonna lead to nothing good. Nothing good's gonna come out of this because at some point these people are gonna regret that everybody knows everything about 'em." We were talking about this yesterday: How many of us could run for office and withstand an average media exam of our life? I mean, how many of us would want whatever we've done in our lives plastered all over television by a political opponent? So apparently something she did, or something published about her that she thinks is negative, has happened 'cause she's running for office (First District, Virginia), and apparently it relates to Facebook or whatever.

There are racy pictures of her out there somewhere, and now somebody's called her a whore. I don't know if somebody called her a whore. I know somebody called Meg Whitman a whore, and is not apologizing for it, and I also know that when Scott Brown ran for the Senate in Massachusetts, weren't all kinds of beefcake pictures of him all over the place? I mean, it's not just aimed at women. Didn't he pose for some magazine? (interruption) Well, yeah, but did he pose for some magazine? (interruption) He posed for Cosmo. That's what he did. He posed for Cosmo, and so it's not just women. (interruption) Okay, I'm being told that there was a photo of... (interruption) Oh. (laughs) I can't tell you what it's a photo of. Never mind. I've been told what she did but I don't dare say it. (interruption)

That's what I can't tell you! I'm just learning here through a Flash note what there's a photo of her doing. (interruption) Yeah. (interruption) Well, it's years ago, years ago. The picture is six years ago. She sounds kinda young now. I don't know how old she is now. (interruption) She's 28? Okay, so this is when she was 22, and the point is she said, "Ah, this happened way back in my past. Facebook, My Butt, MySpace, whatever, and I'm the first this has happened to." "No, Krystal, you're not. Krystal, you're not the first person to whom this has happened. This is the thing when I always tell you, "People think that history began the day they were born," this is what I mean. Everybody's historical perspective begins the day they were born. So poor Krystal Ball here thinks that this is the first time something's happened like this, happened to her.

No, Krystal. We've had Fanne Foxe. We've Wilbur Mills. Oh, my gosh, there have been legions of them before you, Krystal. (interruption) There's no trying to coax me to tell you what the picture is of her doing. (chuckles) Now, those of you have seen the picture know why I can't describe it. You know why I can't describe what she's doing. Not on this show. I wouldn't do it. (interruption) No, it's not a Monica situation. Well... Wait, wait. No, I can't. I can't with ontological certitude say that it isn't. The picture was taken at a Christmas party. Let me see if I can say this without saying it. Okay? Christmas party. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Rudolph the Red NOSED Reindeer. So people in costume. Rudolph the Red ... Nosed ... Reindeer is there. Red Nosed.

Except it's not his nose. It's...

It's another body part. They're in there looking for the pictures now. The man was supposed to be Rudolph, but wasn't. I can tell by Snerdley's eyes he's found the picture now. Folks, you'll be happy that I didn't describe this for you when you eventually see this. (interruption) Yeah, think of Pinocchio. Think of Pinocchio, and think of a... (sigh) Well, then you don't have the right picture. If she's not doing anything, if she's just looking at Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer -- if she's just looking at it -- then you don't have the right pictures. There are nine pictures, all told. If you just found one of them, then you haven't found the one that she's... (interruption) Okay, now that you know as close as I can get to telling you what this is all about, let's play the sound bite again. Yesterday she's on "Lean Forward; It Won't Hurt Much," MSNBC, Dylan Ratigan's show. She's running for Congress, First District-Virginia. She's named Krystal Ball and this conversation is about an alleged double standard in politics regarding racy photos of male versus female candidates, and she is asked to explain the double standard.

KRYSTAL BALL: For years women have been delegitimized and denigrated by being portrayed as whores, and I can't believe that I'm on your show saying that word but I think that's true. The new twist is that now that we have Facebook, now that so many of us live so much of our lives online and so much of it is recorded digitally, what does that mean? I think I'm sort of the first person who's had to face this particular thing, but I certainly don't think I'm the last. So part of the reason that I believe this story has gotten so much traction is simply because we have to ask ourselves as a society, as people of my generation, both young men and young women [who] come of age and decide to run for office: How are we gonna handle this particular issue?

RUSH: I find it fascinating she thinks it's the first time it's ever happened and she's the first person it's happened to. Well, it proves another theory of mine that people's historical perspective begins with the day they've been born. Look, folks, there's no way I could win this. If I withhold the information all I'm doing is enticing you to go find it. If I tell you where to go find it and you see it you're going to be mad at me. There's no way to win here. (interruption) Okay. Okay. You finally saw the one. Did you...? (interruption) What's the website that you saw it at? Tell me what website. (interruption) All right, that's where it is. That's where it is. All right, folks in the audience, I know I'm driving you nuts. This is unfair, totally unfair. I'm not doing this on purpose. I'm not... (sigh) I can't describe the picture. I wouldn't describe it. I mean, I could easily describe it, but I'm not going to. And I could tell you to go look at it yourself but if you did you still get mad at me for telling you to do that. And some of you are gonna hear this on the podcast later and you'll be listening with your kids. I'm telling you this is a no-win, so you'll just have to use your imagination. If you want to find out what this is all about, you are on your own just like I was.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: I have to tell you, if you go look at these pictures -- there are nine of them in total -- if you find the website, know this. These pictures are fairly innocuous compared to what the kids are putting up there today. I mean this really is nothing -- depending on your generation and age -- this is nothing compared to what else is out there because of MySpace, all these sites, cell phone cameras and so forth.

By the way, you want to laugh? Robert "Fibbs," the White House press secretary, just told the White House press corps that the lifting of the deepwater drilling moratorium in the Gulf and Alaska was based on policy process that got done faster than expected. Right, okay, fine, just in time for an election, but here's the dirty little secret. Somebody called Fibbs and said, "What about the permit process? Yeah, you may have lifted the moratorium, but how many permits have you granted for people to start drilling?" You can lift the moratorium and still make sure there's no drilling if you don't give any permits.

You know, people are still asking me about the pictures. It is a challenge, it is a communications challenge. I'm a specialist. I'm a highly trained broadcast specialist. I'm still struggling for a way to try to explain this to you without getting myself in trouble. The photos look like ornaments you would see on Bill Clinton's Christmas tree. If you try to conjure that image, the ornaments on Clinton's Christmas tree in the Oval Office, you'll see.