A worthwhile cause

Is the Rush vs. Harry spit-ball fight over? Probably not, but at least this nonsense will end up benefiting the children of Marines and law enforcement officers killed in action.

You’ll recall that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid spent precious time on the floor lambasting Rush Limbaugh for comments the conservative radio talk show host made on the air a few weeks back. (When they waste energy on stuff like this, is it any wonder that approval ratings for the Democratic Congress are near all-time lows?)

Mr. Limbaugh used the phrase “phony soldiers” to describe some critics of the Iraq war. He said he was referring to a handful of war protesters who claimed to have served in the military but actually had not.

Sen. Reid and his Democratic colleagues — still smarting from the black eye they received when their allies at moveon.org took out a juvenile attack ad in The New York Times against Gen. David Petraeus — jumped on Mr. Limbaugh, seeking an apology and trying to show they’re not anti-military.

Forty Democratic senators signed a letter to Mr. Limbaugh’s boss at Clear Channel Broadcasting, demanding that he repudiate the talk show host’s comments.

It was a batting-practice fast ball right in Mr. Limbaugh’s wheelhouse.

Not only did Mr. Limbaugh offer to have Sen. Reid on his show to debate the issue with him — Harry refused, of course — he put the letter up for bid on eBay with the proceeds, which he vowed to match, going to benefit the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation, a charity that funds college scholarships for the children of Marines and police officers killed in the line of duty.

On Friday, the bidding closed at $2.1 million. That means Mr. Limbaugh, with his contribution included, raised $4.2 million for the charity thanks to the silly histrionics of Sen. Reid and his Democratic colleagues.

Sen. Reid tried to be gracious, but couldn’t help implying he deserved some credit for the generous donation.

“When we can put our differences aside, even Harry Reid and Rush Limbaugh, we should do that and try to accomplish good things for the American people,” the majority leader said.

In fact, Sen. Reid had absolutely nothing to do with the charitable outreach — it was Mr. Limbaugh all the way.

Besides, Reid and other Democrats said they had no intention of matching the winning bid. If they want to horn in on the credit, that’s the least they should do first.

In the meantime, thousands of kids will have a chance at college, thanks to Mr. Limbaugh. And that’s tremendous.