For all his talk about “hope and change” and ending partisanship in Washington, President Obama has never been effective unless he can identify a villain as a target for liberal hatred. …

Enter Rush Limbaugh. The Los Angeles Times reported in March 2009:

“The Obama White House has begun advancing an aggressive political strategy: persuading the country that real power behind the Republican Party is not the GOP leaders in Congress or at the Republican National Committee, but rather provocative radio talk show king Rush Limbaugh.” …

Here is David Plouffe on message in the Washington Post. And here is Rahm Emanuel on “Face the Nation.” And here is Robert Gibbs slamming Limbaugh from the White House press room.