US: For the first time in a decade, the voice of America's most influential right-wing radio talk show host will not be heard this week, or for many weeks to come.
Rush Limbaugh, a conservative who rails against Democrats, the Clintons, environmental wackos, "feminazis" and drug addicts, has checked himself into a clinic for treatment for illegal drug abuse.
Limbaugh stunned his 20 million listeners last week by confessing that he was addicted to pain-killing drugs. This followed a claim by his housekeeper, Ms Wilma Cline, that she provided illegal painkillers to him when she worked at his $30 million Florida home from 1997 to July 2001.
She told the National Inquirer she supplied 30,000 illegally obtained hydrocodone, Lorcet and OxyContin pills in exchange for cigar-boxes full of cash. On Friday, Limbaugh admitted his addiction and said he would check into a treatment centre for 30 days.
Much has been made of Limbaugh's 1995 comment: "If people are violating the law by doing drugs, they ought to be accused and they ought to be convicted and they ought to be sent up."
A fierce advocate of Republican policies, he faces five years jail if convicted of drug abuse.
His public disgrace began on October 1st when he had to resign his part-time job as a television sports analyst when he said on air that Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb was overrated because the media wanted to see a black quarterback succeed, a comment widely criticised as racist.