Rush Limbaugh to be Immortalized in Bronze at Missouri State Capitol

Amid a storm of controversy over his Sandra Fluke comments, Rush Limbaugh -- or rather, a bronze bust of the conservative radio host -- will be inducted into the Missouri Capitol's "Hall of Famous Missourians."

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The hall, located in a rotunda of the capitol, features busts of President Harry Truman, Walter Cronkite, Mark Twain, Walt Disney and George Washington Carver.

According to the Kansas City Star, House Speaker Steve Tilley, a Republican, selected Limbaugh for the honor, and his bust will be financed by the the Speaker's Annual Golf Classic.

"It's not the 'Hall of Universally Loved Missourians,'" Tilley told the paper. "It's the Hall of Famous Missourians."

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Meanwhile, Democratic state representative Jeannette Mott Oxford was not amused, observing: "If you look at the folks that are honored with a sculpture in the Capitol, Mr. Limbaugh doesn’t seem to fit."

The liberal group Progress Missouri has decried Tilley's choice of Limbaugh as "unacceptable," and posted an online petition in protest, urging Tilley to change his mind.

"No one can deny the fact that (Limbaugh) would qualify as a famous Missourian," Tilley said. "He's from my area of the state. His career has reached to where he's one of the most recognizable radio personalities, not just in the country, but in the world."

And he's no stranger to scandal. So far, 35 advertisers have dropped Limbaugh's syndicated radio show after he spurred criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike for calling Fluke a "slut" and "prostitute." The pundit launched a bitter, profane attack on the Georgetown student for testifying before Congress on behalf of insurance coverage for birth control, insisting that, if she wanted birth control coverage, she post videos of herself having sex.

Limbaugh apologized Saturday for his remarks, yet advertisers continue to drop like flies and outrage has not yet died down.

President Obama -- who called Fluke following Limbaugh's attack -- also weighed in on the controversy, saying: "All good folks can agree that the remarks that were made don’t have any place in the public discourse. And you know, the reason I called Ms. Fluke is because I thought about my daughters, and one of the things I want them to do as they get older is to engage in issues they care about, even ones I may not agree with them on. I want them to be able to speak their mind in a civil and thoughtful way.”