AP Photo Limbaugh's fans say unfair charges of racism blocked his bid to become an NFL owner. Could be—but why don't they care when he's the one doing the race-baiting?

Rush Limbaugh maintains that his efforts to buy an NFL football team failed due to the pernicious influence of race-baiters. They are said to include professional demagogue Al Sharpton, the NFL player's union, and a left-leaning blogger who falsely attributed a racist comment to the talk radio host, leading to its broadcast on CNN. "I have something in common with Clarence Thomas," Mr. Limbaugh claimed Thursday on his radio program. “I, too, have had my high-tech lynching.”

Mr. Limbaugh’s situation is unworthy of comparison to the ordeal Justice Thomas endured, but he is owed some sympathy. Even a thick-skinned celebrity must recoil when a national television network erroneously attributes a racist remark to their person. What isn't accurate are the broader defenses being offered by Mr. Limbaugh's fans. "It's no coincidence that Democratic Party outlets like CNN had to