Q+A Rush Limbaugh

The syndicated radio host, 52, will appear weekly on ESPN's
Sunday NFL Countdown starting on Sept. 7.

SI: Won't you have a bias against Broncos running back Clinton
Portis?

Limbaugh: There will be no bias against any player because of his
name or party affiliation.

SI: Why do you think our presidents have loved football so much?

Limbaugh: Because football is a combination of brains and
strategy and then execution. I've even talked to Henry Kissinger
about football. His favorite team is the 49ers. I asked him,
"What is it about the 49ers you like?" And he said, "They have a
clever offense."

SI: What kind of NFL head coaches would Bill Clinton and George
W. Bush make?

Limbaugh (laughs): Bill Clinton? I think he would have trouble
keeping his eye on the field rather than on the cheerleaders.
With Bush, it'd be, Go for the jugular, and win from the first
quarter on.

SI: How would you analyze your skills as an offensive lineman at
Central High in Cape Girardeau, Missouri?

Limbaugh: Pretty pathetic. I went out to get girls; it didn't
work. Then I became a kicker so I wouldn't have to face contact.
They let me kick, but I still had to face contact in drills so I
got into radio.

SI: What's your role going to be on Countdown?

Limbaugh: I'm not going to be a journalist. I'm not going to be
on the phone during the week digging up stuff that nobody else
knows. I'm not trying to be an insider. My perspective is I
simply love the game, and I'm going to react to things.

SI: You were the Royals' director of group sales in the '80s.
Think they'll hold on and win the AL Central?

Limbaugh: They'll fade in August or something like that, but I
hope they don't.

SI: What NFL team will surprise people this season?

Limbaugh: The Bengals. They will continue to be as poor as always
despite their new coach.

SI: Did ABC make a mistake by giving the Monday Night Football
job to Dennis Miller over you three years ago?

Limbaugh: Yes. Because I would have worked.

SI: Are sideline reporters necessary?

Limbaugh: No. Sideline reporters are basically there to attract a
certain sex-starved male demographic. By the way, I love sideline
reporters. --Richard Deitsch

For more from Rush Limbaugh, go to si.com/scorecard.

COLOR PHOTO: J.D. CUBAN (LIMBAUGH) Pathetic in pads