Obama Administration Says It Won't Ask For Rush Limbaugh To Be Pulled From Armed Forces Network

A petition to pull Rush Limbaugh from the lineup of the Armed Forces Network (AFN) received an Obama Administration response over the weekend, but one that likely disappointed opponents of the conservative radio host.

The petition -- organized amid a debate over birth control coverage during which Limbaugh repeatedly called law student Sandra Fluke a "slut" -- said that Limbaugh's "abusive, divisive, insulting language," should not be aired on the government-run TV and radio network, which provides programming to American troops overseas. "We have a moral objection to our tax dollars being used for such a purpose," the petitioners wrote. "You should move immediately to cancel any further broadcast through government facilities of his venom." But the White House, which hosted the petition as part of its "We The People" website, seemed to disagree. In a statement that appeared below the appeal, Defense Department official Ryan G. Whitman wrote that "AFN does not censor content, and we believe it is important that service members have access to a variety of viewpoints."