Rush Limbaugh is the intellectual core of the modern conservative movement. For good or ill, on that point there is nearly no dispute. He revitalized talk-radio and, while his primary purpose was to evangelize, he entertains millions across the political spectrum. The 20th anniversary of his radio show, which was August 1st, is certainly something worthy of congratulations.

I myself was a “Rush baby”–the name he gives to children whose parents listened to Rush while their kids were still very young. They don’t know it, says Rush, but those children are soaking in conservatism before they’ve even reached the Phallic stage. This Rush baby was also in many ways a Buchanan baby, but that’s beside the point.

On the Right, the cult of personality demands much more than simple congratulations. Not something akin to the excellent piece in the New York Times Magazine to be sure. No, it requires the kind of symposium worthy of the passing of a conservative figurehead. Human Events was up to the task.

Dubbed “Rush Week,” the surfeit consisted of 20 articles about the golden-microphone wielding philosoph and his accomplishments. Authors included Rush’s brother David, Steve Forbes, Ann Coulter, Michael Reagan, Dick Morris, Ted Nugent, Phyllis Schafly, Karl Rove, Sean Hannity, and Mark Levin, bestowing upon him titles such as “The Babe Ruth of Broadcasting,” “The Engine of Conservatism,” “Force of Nature,” “The Other Inventor of Radio,” and “Empowerer of the Modern Conservative Movement.”

But at his core, Rush is a businessman and an entertainer. He says so himself:

“Do you know what bought me all this?” he asked, waving his hand in the general direction of his prosperity. “Not my political ideas. Conservatism didn’t buy this house. First and foremost I’m a businessman. My first goal is to attract the largest possible audience so I can charge confiscatory ad rates. I happen to have great entertainment skills, but that enables me to sell airtime.”

Maybe it’s appropriate that a radio program marked by hyperbole was celebrated in a similarly hyperbolic fashion. But something tells me Rush is much more self-aware than many of his fans. He knows he is first-and-foremost an entertainer. Do they?