Rush said in 1999:

National Review (NR Wire)

October 6, 1999

LIMBAUGH: BUSH "NO CONSERVATIVE"

Conservative talkmeister Rush Limbaugh blasted away at George W. Bush with
both barrels today, stoking a possible clash between grass-roots
conservatives and the front-running candidate who is already pursuing a
centerist general election strategy.

"He's really wandered off the reservation here lately folks," Limbaugh
intoned, before making the case against the recent Bush positioning.

"In my mind," he told his listeners, "no conservative running for president
would make the kind of statements that he's made. No conservative running
for president would leave his philosophical brothers and sisters dying on
the congressional battlefield the way Bush did with that EITC (Earned Income
Tax Credit) thing. And now he's done it again with the speech at the
Manhattan Institute. He's done it twice in seven or eight days time."

"This obviously is a carefully crafted strategy." Limbaugh continued. "What
it means is that solid conservatives from Tom DeLay to Dick Armey, who are
doing all they can to eke out small majorities and beat back Clinton and all
his Big Government schemes-issue after issue-end up being emasculated by
Bush's comments."

"Who wants a Republican moderate as president?" Limbaugh asked, a question
the Bush camp must hope that other conservatives don't begin asking.