Apology as Fox hounded over ad

WASHINGTON - Rush Limbaugh, the doyen of conservative talk radio hosts, has issued a graceless apology after suggesting the actor Michael J. Fox might have faked the effects of Parkinson's disease in an election campaign ad pleading for embryonic stem cell research.

The advert runs in support of Democratic candidates in several key contests. It shows Fox, who announced in 1998 that he suffered from Parkinson's, his body lurching from side to side, making the case that such research offers hope of a cure for his own and other illnesses.

In the version tailored for the pivotal Senate race in Missouri, the actor urges voters to back Claire McCaskill in her bid to unseat incumbent Republican Jim Talent.

"In Missouri, you can elect Claire McCaskill, who shares my hopes for cures ... What you do in Missouri matters to millions of Americans - Americans like me."

Limbaugh exploded in scornful outrage on air, claiming he had never seen Fox in such a state. "This means either he didn't take his medication or he was acting," said the radio host, who has a weekly audience of more than 10 million. The actor's behaviour was "really shameless".

But after furious protest from doctors and medical experts, Limbaugh recanted.

"All right, I stand corrected, I will bigly, hugely, admit I was wrong," he said - only to lambast Fox in the next breath for allowing his illness to be exploited and for a "shilling" for a Democratic politician.

The spat is symptomatic of an uncommonly dirty campaign ahead of the mid-term vote on November 7.

- INDEPENDENT