Are Republicans Actually Attacking Rush Limbaugh?

In a meeting with congressional leaders from both parties last week, President Obama told the GOP members that "You can't just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done." As expected, Limbaugh responded to the presidential mention of his name with his usual bluster, stating, "I think Obama wants me to fail."

During his rant on Monday, Limbaugh also turned his fire on Republican leaders in Congress, claiming that Obama was "more frightened" of him than them:

LIMBAUGH: He's obviously more frightened of me than he is Mitch McConnell. He is more frightened of me than he is of, say, John Boehner, which doesn't say much about our party. I mean, to tell you the truth, folks, if the president is a little more worried about somebody on the radio than he is about somebody on Capitol Hill ... I think Obama wants me to fail, there's no question.

Despite conservatives' tendency to follow and defend Limbaugh, some prominent Republicans are backing away from the divisive hate radio host.

On Hugh Hewitt's radio show on Monday, Boehner denied that his ideas came from Limbaugh, saying, "I like Rush, but, he's a talk show host, and I'm in the policy-making business." In an interview with Politico yesterday, Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA), the chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee, said Limbaugh was just throwing "bricks" while "living well" in his radio studio: