Air America Host 'Jokingly' Calls for Bush Hit

One of the leading hosts on the unofficial radio network of the Democratic Party recommended in an apparent "joke" earlier this week that President Bush should be assassinated, reports the New York Daily News.

Comparing Bush and his family to the Corleones of "Godfather" fame, Air America host Randi Rhodes reportedly unleashed this zinger during her Monday night broadcast: "Like Fredo, somebody ought to take him out fishing and phuw. "

Rhodes then imitated the sound of a gunshot.

In "Godfather II," Fredo Corleone is executed by brother Michael at the end of the film.

Even joking allusions to the death of high government officials sometimes bring harsh consequences to the offending radio host.

In 1996, when reports indicated that a lone passenger had survived the crash of a plane carrying then-Commerce Secretary Ron Brown, New York radio host Bob Grant joked: "I have a hunch that survivor is Ron Brown. But I'm a pessimist at heart."

Grant was dropped from WABC Radio over the quip, despite ratings that made him the top talk radio host in New York City. He was picked up two weeks later by WOR, which broadcasts "The Bob Grant Show" from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays.

It could not be determined by press time whether the Secret Service had launched a formal investigation into the Rhodes knee-slapper, as it normally does when the president's life is threatened - even jokingly.

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