Rush: Obama one of most successful presidents

Radio host Rush Limbaugh

PALM BEACH, Fla. – With the U.S. still struggling to emerge from the economic malaise of recent years, the top-rated radio host who once said he hopes Barack Obama fails is now saying Obama "may be one of the most successful presidents that we've ever had."

The remark from Rush Limbaugh was in response to complaints from others lamenting the state of the country, telling him, "Boy, this Obama. He's really, really making a mess of things."

"Wait a minute," Limbaugh responded. "Obama isn't 'making a mess' of anything. Obama may be one of the most successful presidents that we've ever had."

"He's getting everything he wants," Limbaugh continued. "He's transforming this country in ways that no one ever thought possible. He is succeeding at every turn, and he has a scandal pop up at just the right time every moment some big transformation's taking place so that we're all distracted. Everything the guy wants is happening one way or the other, sooner than later, later than sooner. Whatever. Nobody's stopping Obama. Nobody's stopping the Democrats. They're getting everything they want.

"They're getting everything they want with the Republican Party going along with most of it! Now, if your definition of a successful president or a failure as a president is somebody who is making a mess of things? Yeah, then he's a miserable failure. But from his standpoint, Obama's objectives, his goals? I'll bet you Obama, in private, can't believe how easy this has been. I'll bet you when he and [Attorney General Eric] Holder and Valerie Jarrett and rest of them get together, they laugh and talk about how easy this has been."

Limbaugh pointed to the fact that no other country seems willing to extradite NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden back to America to face criminal charges.

"All it means to Obama is that the United States isn't as feared nor is it as respected," he explained.

"I'm telling you, this is right up Obama's alley, to preside over the decline of the superpower once known as the United States. Look, there isn't any doubt about this any more. There's no doubt about what Obama's agenda is. There's no doubt about what his plans for transforming the country are, and there's no doubt that he's just profoundly successful with all this. There's no doubt about this now.

"Anybody out there, including low-information voters, who thinks that Obama's trying to accomplish the opposite of what's happening are just hopelessly irretrievable. If anybody really believes Obama's trying to spur and grow this economy, create a growing private sector with growing private sector jobs, they're hopeless. If anybody really thinks that Obama's trying to strengthen the U.S. border and all this, they're hopeless. They're lost. We're coming up now on the five years of this.

"At some point, you've gotta wake up and realize that what you're witnessing is happening because somebody wants it to happen. Not because they're making mistake after mistake after mistake. Not because powerful forces out of your control are making things happen. At some point, you have to admit what's happening is happening."