Politics is a dirty business.  It gets absolutely filthy as an election draw nears.  But this one is over top. 

Michael J. Fox, a beloved actor and by all accounts an all around good guy, has cut some commercials for candidates across the country who support stem cell research.  Mr. Fox has Parkinson’s disease.

This from the San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper article: Parkinson's disease is a chronic, progressive disorder of the central nervous system that leaves patients increasingly unable to control their movements.

 Michael J. Fox has been a proponent of research to cure the disease, and is an advocate for stem cell research.  Because of his belief in the promise of stem cells as a cure to this devastating and currently incurable disease he has cut ads for democrats who are also proponents of stem cell research.

 Predictably, he was attacked.  It was the ferociousness of the attacks that is unforgivable.

 Rush (pills of any kind) Limpbaugh has attacked Fox as acting, or intentionally going off his meds to make his spasms and shaking more impressive.

 Now I don’t know the veracity of this statement from Rush because it didn’t come from a San Diego newspaper but multiple sites are reporting that Rush said this:

 "He is exaggerating the effects of the disease," Limbaugh told listeners. "He's moving all around and shaking and it's purely an act. . . . This is really shameless of Michael J. Fox. Either he didn't take his medication or he's acting."

 Well, apparently today Rush had gotten enough flack to change his attitude.  He said this:

"Now people are telling me they have seen Michael J. Fox in interviews and he does appear the same way in the interviews as he does in this commercial," Limbaugh said, according to a transcript on his Web site. "All right then, I stand corrected. . .  So I will bigly, hugely admit that I was wrong, and I will apologize to Michael J. Fox, if I am wrong in characterizing his behavior on this commercial as an act."

So Rush Neanderthal (who by the way probably lost his hearing to due to excessive oxycotin use) changed his tactic.  "Michael J. Fox is allowing his illness to be exploited and in the process is shilling for a Democratic politician.”  

Wow, how could a guy be shilling for those people who believe that a clump of cells might save a life, or make life better or cure a disease rather than be tossed in the trash? 

By Rush’s logic, people like Fox should just shut up and disappear so we don’t have to look at them: anything else would be exploitation.  And God forbid, that anyone advocate for their own interests (right AA?) 

This is a quote from the San Diego newspaper: “If there is one single disease that has the highest potential for benefit from stem cell research,” Boockwar said Tuesday, “it's Parkinson's.”