RUSH HUSH

Good news for Rush-haters.

Not only has the controversial conservative radio talk-show host got a sore throat, but he's anguishing over the inadequacy of the current field of Republican presidential candidates.

Finally, he'd had enough of these impure candidates and all these questions about his endorsement, and he just blurted out to Jim in Kansas City and a few million others listening in: "I can see possibly not supporting a Republican nominee."

What?!

Across the country, people were dropping their coffee cups, choking on sandwiches, fainting and driving off the road. The king of conservative talk radio not supporting the Republican nominee? "And I never thought that I would say that in my life. This stuff is very tough."

No kidding. It's tough enough just listening to him. "You don't have a genuine down-the-list conservative," he noted. So, he advised, a Republican voter must look at "variables."

For example, Rush said: "It's easier for me to support a Romney than a McCain, for example. Because I believe his conversion is genuine. And he's not lying about his past positions. He's not trying to tell people they're wrong when they assess his past positions. He explains why he changed his mind."

Finally, Rush was running out of time. "I'm telling ya," he said, "it's gonna come down to which guy do we dislike the least. And that's not necessarily good."

(By DON FREDERICK and ANDREW MALCOLM)