John LeBoutillier
Monday, Oct. 20, 2003

Sean had been trailing Rush - 18 million to 10 million - in weekly listeners before Rush's self-imposed exile in drug rehab. But Sean's rise to national prominence has, in many ways, been even swifter and more meteoric than Rush's was in the late 1980s. Fueled by his good looks and nightly top-rated "Hannity & Colmes" TV show on the Fox News Channel, Sean Hannity is now the unquestioned star of the crucial talk radio universe.

Yes, Rush will one day return to his daily show and most of his audience will remain loyal to him; included in that loyal following will be Sean Hannity himself. Never a fair-weather friend, one of Sean's best qualities is his loyalty and devotion to people and principles. Many have called Rush an egotistical self-promoter who is more shtick than substance; those who know Sean know him to be direct, straightforward and the same on-air as he is off-air.

But Rush's biggest problem when he returns is going to be the inevitable label of hypocrite. While he preached a "send them up the river" attitude toward drug users, he himself was using illegally obtained drugs.

Limbaugh can do much to help address the epidemic of prescription drug abuse if he 'comes clean' about his years of abuse. But he will never completely resume his previous position as the top-rated conservative voice on the air.

Just look at another Vicar of Virtue, William Bennett: Since his million-dollar gambling habit was exposed, he is no longer in as much demand on the lecture circuit. He is desperate for income and takes any gig offered to him. His gambling debts apparently run in the millions.

Let's face it: Bennett has lost - and will never regain - his former status on the Right as the man to listen to when values are discussed.

Similarly, Rush Limbaugh has certainly lost some of his influence and, more importantly, some of his most valuable asset: his credibility.

Sean Hannity - in contrast to Bennett and Rush - assumes the No. 1 position with not a shred of personal scandal near him. A strong husband, father and son, Sean personifies the clean-cut image that others only try to portray. With Hannity, the old expression applies: What you see is what you get.

There will be no hidden drug or gambling problems to discredit Sean.

All of this is of critical importance as we head into the 2004 presidential and congressional elections. The Left will do anything to win next year. And they are desperate to undercut the best asset we have: the power and influence of talk radio. Rush's self-destruction plays right into their hands.

That is why it is crucial that the new talk radio king be above reproach.

As seen in the California recall election, Sean's radio and TV Town Hall with eventual winner Arnold Schwarzenegger went a long way toward calming conservative discontent with the social moderate. As Sean has said, "I'd rather get 70 percent than nothing at all."

The success and influence of talk radio drives the Left up the wall. They just can't understand why listeners reject liberalism and why liberal talk show hosts and shows can't cut it.

The plain fact is that regular American radio listeners do not want to hear any more leftist propaganda; they have gotten their fill of that stuff in high school, college and the newspapers. National Public Radio - subsidized by the taxpayers - is the only place liberals survive on the radio.

Talk radio - a truly unfiltered medium - is the backbone of the conservative movement. It is only as strong as the credibility of its hosts. With the king of daytime talk radio sidelined indefinitely, Sean Hannity now steps into the spotlight.

Prediction: Sean will become even more popular and credible than Rush was in his prime. And he will help lead a new conservative renaissance in America.

John LeBoutillier, a former U.S. congressman, is an author and columnist. E-mail him at lebout@newsmax.com

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