:puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke:
~snip~
In the wide-open Republican presidential contest, Mitt Romney boasts an influential fan who has the ear of millions of voters.
Rush Limbaugh, the cigar-chomping conservative stalwart, has been on a tear over the last few weeks, talking up Romney and taking whacks at John McCain and Mike Huckabee. And in a race where no candidate has been able to unify the base of the Republican Party, Limbaugh's chatter matters. With 13.5 million listeners on 600 stations, the nation's most highly rated talk-radio host could give Romney a big boost.
"Of course it helps," said Stuart Stevens, a media adviser for Romney. "He's like the NPR for conservatives."
Limbaugh, who makes a point of saying he does not officially endorse in the primaries, has nonetheless praised Romney effusively, repeated Romney's policy talking points, defended him against attacks from fellow conservatives, and after Romney's win in Michigan this week, declared him the front-runner.
~snip~
Read the whole thing here:
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/01/18/limbaughs_praise_for_romneys_run_heard_loud_and_clear/