Bill Maher defends Rush Limbaugh for 'slut' apology

LOS ANGELES, March 7 (UPI) -- U.S. comedian Bill Maher used Twitter Wednesday to defend Rush Limbaugh who apologized for calling a contraception advocate a "slut."

"Hate to defend #RushLimbaugh but he apologized, liberals looking bad not accepting," Maher tweeted. "Also hate intimidation by sponsor pullout."

Despite issuing the public apology to Sandra Fluke for calling her a "slut" and a "prostitute," Limbaugh's radio talk show lost a slew of major advertisers in the fallout from his remarks.

David Friend, chief executive officer of Carbonite, an online computer data 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.

"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 We hope that our action, along with other advertisers who have already withdrawn their ads, will ultimately contribute to a more civilized public discourse."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 also drew 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 covers contraception, women should be required to post videos online of them having sex, to be considered "something in return."