Limbaugh's letter from Congressional Dems sells for $2.1 million.

San Francisco Chronicle
Dems' letter to Limbaugh fetches $2.1 million
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/10/20/MNM0ST7VS.DTL

Stephanie Strom, New York Times

After Rush Limbaugh referred to Iraq war veterans critical of the war as "phony soldiers," he received a letter of complaint signed by 41 Democratic senators.

He decided to auction the letter, which he described as "this glittering jewel of colossal ignorance," for charity, and he pledged to match the price, dollar for dollar. On Thursday night, the conservative radio talk show host said he thought the letter would bring in as much as $1 million. He was wrong.

When the eBay auction closed Friday afternoon, the winning bid was $2.1 million. It is the largest amount ever paid for an item sold on eBay to benefit a charity.

The money will go to the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation Inc., a nonprofit organization in New Jersey that provides scholarships and other assistance to families of Marines and federal law enforcement officials who die or are wounded in the line of duty. Limbaugh is a director of the organization, which had total revenue of $5.2 million last year.

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The letter was bought by the Eugene B. Casey Foundation, a $294 million organization in Gaithersburg, Md., that has given money to a wide variety of organizations, including the Washington Opera and the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. In a statement, the foundation said its purchase of the letter was intended to demonstrate its belief in freedom of speech and "to support Rush Limbaugh, his views and his continuing education of us."

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He predicted that the sale's success would anger one signer of the letter, the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, whom Limbaugh calls Dingy Harry.

But in a statement on the floor of the Senate on Friday, Reid, D-Nev., praised the auction. "I strongly believe that when we can put our differences aside, even Harry Reid and Rush Limbaugh, we should do that and try to accomplish good things for the American people," he said.

Dated Oct. 7, the letter read: "Although Americans of good will debate the merits of this war, we can all agree that those who serve with such great courage deserve our deepest respect and gratitude. That is why Rush Limbaugh's recent characterization of troops who oppose the war as 'phony soldiers' is such an outrage."

More at link.

In a statement, the foundation said its purchase of the letter was intended to demonstrate its belief in freedom of speech and "to support Rush Limbaugh, his views and his continuing education of us."