Reuters finally gets around to covering the Rush Limbaugh-Harry Reid-$2.1M story, and are you surprised at the spin? I’m not: Reid-Limbaugh spat raises $2.1 million for children.

No mention of the fact that Limbaugh’s matching the amount dollar for dollar, of course. Their headline is dishonest; it should read, “Reid-Limbaugh spat raises $4.2 million for children.”

The letter, signed by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and 40 fellow Senate Democrats, expressed outrage over what they described as Limbaugh’s “characterization of troops who oppose the (Iraq) war as ‘phony soldiers’.”

Limbaugh denounced the note as a “smear letter,” saying the remark he made on his radio show referred to soldiers who falsified their military service.

Regardless, Reid, speaking in the Senate, saluted Limbaugh for raising the money on behalf of The Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation, which helps children of Marines and law officers killed in the line of duty.

“What could be a more worthwhile cause?” said Reid, urging support for the fund-raising drive shortly before bidding closed.

“I strongly believe when we can put our differences aside, even Harry Reid and Rush Limbaugh, we should do that and try to accomplish good things for the American people,” Reid said.

Limbaugh, in his posting on eBay, did not appear conciliatory with Reid, who is referred to as “Dingy Harry.”

UPDATE at 10/19/07 8:30:28 pm:

The New York Times report starts off with a blatant Media Matters-inspired lie: Critical Letter to Limbaugh Fetches $2 Million.

After Rush Limbaugh referred to Iraq war veterans critical of the war as “phony soldiers,” he received a letter of complaint signed by 41 Democratic senators.