Rush Rammed

St. Louis Blues owner Dave Checketts has dropped Rush Limbaugh from his group that is looking to buy the St. Louis Rams.

The Reverend Al Sharpton, Chris Matthews and the NFL Players Association are ecstatic.

It is a sad day for the pursuit of happiness.

I have no idea whether Rush Limbaugh would have been good for the St. Louis Rams. The Rams could have become worse, they could become the Greatest Show on Turf or somewhere in between. But we will never know the answer because Rush has been denied the opportunity to pursue happiness. I fail to see the harm in letting him compete in this bid.

The NFL is under no obligation to award him or anyone else a franchise but there is an obligation towards letting him make his case. Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay said he wouldn't support Limbaugh's bid without even giving him a chance. If Irsay has a concern with Limbaugh's involvement in the organization or with his interactions with player personnel let Irsay express those concerns and let Limbaugh have a forum in which to explain himself. That Irsay has already made up his mind doesn't speak well of the bidding process.

It is also unfortunate that Checketts didn't see fit to stand by Rush when times got tough. It's bad enough that the Sharptons and Matthews of the world are getting their way on the basis of a falsehood. But the behavior of Sharpton and Matthews is reinforced when the Checketts of the world won't defend their business associates and leave them to hang out to dry. Checketts had to know there would be strong reaction to Limbaugh's presence and been prepared for the onslaught. If he had would have been in better position to defend his association with Limbaugh. An association which he entered into of his own free volition.

The bottom line here is that Rush got rammed. From both ends.