RUSH: Hilary Rosen has apologized to Ann Romney. I do not have the text of the apology in front of me. But she has apologized. It’s a somewhat lengthy apology in which she apologizes to Ann Romney and anybody else that she offended, and then she says, “It’s time to declare peace on this phony war.” Time to declare peace on this phony war? Phony war? That’s obviously a reference to the war on women! Well, whose “phony war” on women is it? Who started it? The White House, in conjunction with George Stephanopoulos at ABC News and the question to Mitt Romney on January 7th at the Republican debate in Manchester, New Hampshire.

By the way, ladies and gentlemen, Breitbart: “Obama Lays Groundwork for Rosen’s Attack on Ann Romney — The Obama campaign would have us believe that last night on CNN Obama adviser and frequent White House guest, Hilary Rosen, spoke out of turn with her indefensible attack on Ann Romney and every woman who chooses to stay home and raise her family. But in a speech last Friday at ‘The White House Forum on Women and the Economy,’ President Obama seemed to be laying the groundwork for exactly this attack. By last Friday, it was already apparent that the only thing stopping Mitt Romney from becoming the GOP presidential nominee were mere formalities, and talk had already begun among Obama’s media allies that Ann … was going to be a huge asset for the Republican ticket.

“Attractive, charismatic, warm, well-spoken, intelligent, and likable on sight, she would do much to not only soften her husband’s edges but also to help shore up the so-called gender gap. As we’ve all seen since President Obama stabbed the Catholic Church in the back a couple of months ago, Obama is cynically plotting a path to re-election through a phony ‘war on women.’ Because he can’t run on a failed record… When that’s your sinister plot, a woman like Ann Romney is a serious problem. So last night on CNN, Hilary Rosen attacked Ms. Romney. But almost immediately afterwards, the [regime] assured us Rosen doesnÂ’t speak for them.

“Baloney. Obama might suck as a president but when it comes to campaigning and message discipline, this White House knows what it’s doing (it doesnÂ’t hurt to have the [media] carrying your water, either). Speaking of his wife Michelle just a few days prior to Rosen’s attack, President Obama launched a little theme that should sound familiar after last night’s fireworks: ‘And once Michelle and I had our girls, she gave it her all to balance raising a family and pursuing a career — and something that could be very difficult on her, because I was gone a lot. ‘Once I was in the state legislature, I was teaching, I was practicing law, I’d be traveling,’ [Obama] said. ‘And we didn’t have the luxury for her not to work.’

“Oh, boo-hoo for the Harvard graduates!” Here’s Michelle with a no-show job of 300 grand at some Chicago hospital, when Barack was earning a hundred-some-odd grand in the statehouse. So the theory from Breitbart is that Obama himself laid the groundwork for Hilary Rosen’s attack last night. “Once I was in the state legislature, I was teaching, I was practicing law, I’d be traveling. And we didn’t have the luxury for her not to work.” That was last Friday at the Forum on Women. And, by the way, this attack on Ann Romney last night didn’t come out of the blue.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Hilary Rosen was on CNN, Anderson Cooper 29 last night. They were talking about Romney mentioned 93% of all jobs lost under Obama are lost by women, which is true! The real war on women in this country is Obama’s economy. Anderson Cooper said to Hilary Rosen, “Is there anything really wrong with reaching out to women on an issue that they care about like the economy?”

ROSEN: Can we just get rid of this word “war on women”? The Obama campaign does not use it. President Obama does not use it. This is something that the Republicans are accusing people of using, but they’re actually the ones spreading it.

RUSH: Okay. Uh, let’s see, March 6th, 2012, at the White House. This is press conference, Q&A. Jessica Yellin, CNN, says to Obama: “Top Democrats said Republicans on a smaller issue are engaged in a war on women. Would you prefer that language be changed?”

OBAMA: You know, Jessica, as you know, uh, i-i-if — if I start, uh, being in the business of arbitrating, uh, th-th-th-th-th-the —

YELLIN: You talked about civility.

OBAMA: Right. And what I do is I practice it. And so, uh, I’m gonna try to lead by example, uh, in this situation as opposed to commenting on, uhhhh —

RUSH: Right.

OBAMA: — every single comment that’s made by —

RUSH: Right.

OBAMA: — either politicians or pundits.

RUSH: Right.

OBAMA: Uh, I would be very busy; I would not have time to do my job.

RUSH: Right, right, right.

OBAMA: That’s your job to comment on —

RUSH: Right.

OBAMA: — what’s said by politicians and pundits.

RUSH: Yeah, right, right. That was the press conference where he condemned me and my language. But he would not condemn the language “war on women.” Now, the Democrats are sending out fundraising e-mails. Pelosi’s sending out fundraising e-mails with the term “war on women,” and “Blabbermouth” Schultz is sending out e-mails with the term “war on women.” For Hilary Rosen to say the Democrats are not using the term is a lie. The Democrats invented it! You watch. They’re gonna try to lay that off on me. I’m gonna tell you: They invented the term. It’s in their playbook! “Republican war on women.” That’s what they want you to think is being waged.

Now, this whole thing can be capped by saying this: In Hilary Rosen’s apology today, she actually says, “Can we…?” Let me get it up here. I’m gonna find exact wording. Here it is: “Let’s declare peace in this phony war and go back to focus on the substance.” That’s in her apology to Ann Romney: Can we just “declare peace in this phony war”? That’s acknowledging it. Let’s see. In early March of this year on their YouTube channel, the Democrat Senate Campaign Committee released an ad entitled, “The GOP’s War on Women.”

Hilary Rosen says: It’s a Republican invention! We’re not doing that!

Right here: “The GOP’s War on Women” is the title of the ad, and here’s a portion of the ad.

VOICE-OVER WOMAN: (dramatic music) It’s an assault on women’s health and freedom, and Republican candidates for the US Senate all across the country are pushing extreme legislation that threatens health care for women. It’s time to end the culture wars and get to work for the middle class. Time to elect more women to the US Senate.

RUSH: There you go. So they’ve got an ad entitled, “The GOP’s War on Women.” It’s right there on their YouTube page.