Noted & Quoted, sane conservative edition

George F. Will was underwhelmed by the GOP establishment’s muted reaction to the Rush Limbaugh imbroglio.

“Well, it would have been nice if [GOP leaders] shared that with the larger public,” Will said. “Instead, Mr. Boehner said that Rush’s language was inappropriate. Using a salad fork for your entree — that is inappropriate. Rick Santorum says, ‘Well, what he said was absurd and an entertainer is allowed to absurd.’ No, it is the responsibilities of conservatives to police the right excesses on their side just as the liberals unfailingly fail on their own side.”

Then …

“It was depressing because what it indicates is, the Republican leaders are afraid of Rush Limbaugh,” Will continued. “They want to bomb Iran, but they’re afraid of Rush Limbaugh.