Limbaugh suffers backlash despite apology

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WASHINGTON, March 4 (UPI) -- Despite issuing a public apology to contraception advocate Sandra Fluke for calling her a "slut," Rush Limbaugh's radio talk show lost another major advertiser.

David Friend, chief executive officer of Carbonite, an online backup company and one of Limbaugh's major advertisers, issued a statement saying Limbaugh's apology was not good enough to keep Carbonite from withdrawing their ads from his show, The Christian Science Monitor reported Sunday.

"No one with daughters the age of Sandra Fluke, and I have two, could possibly abide the insult and abuse heaped upon this courageous and well-intentioned young lady," Friend said in his statement. "Mr. Limbaugh, with his highly personal attacks on Miss Fluke, overstepped any reasonable bounds of decency. Even though Mr. Limbaugh has now issued an apology, we have nonetheless decided to withdraw our advertising from his show. We hope that our action, along with other advertisers who have already withdrawn their ads, will ultimately contribute to a more civilized public discourse."

The Republican party's response to the longtime conservative talk show host's comments has also drawn criticism from conservative Washington Post columnist George Will.

"[House Speaker John] Boehner comes out and says Rush's language was inappropriate. Using the salad fork for your entree, that's inappropriate. Not this stuff," Will said on ABC News Sunday. "And it was depressing because what it indicates is that the Republican leaders are afraid of Rush Limbaugh. They want to bomb Iran, but they're afraid of Rush Limbaugh."

Fluke, a Georgetown University law student, was attacked by Limbaugh after she spoke at an event organized by House Democrats about the importance of contraception coverage under government-required health insurance policies. Limbaugh called Fluke a "slut," a "prostitute," and a "feminazi." He also suggested that if the government should cover contraception, women should be required to post videos online of them having sex, to be considered "something in return."