Ever since Rush Limbaugh called Sandra Fluke a slut and a prostitute, talk about civility in political discussion has been all the rage. Limbaugh has faced a backlash of advertiser bailouts, both in his national commercials, as well as at the local level, leaving radio stations across the country to have to evaluate their lineup.

But, some conservatives have been crying foul, saying that this represents a double standard in our political culture. They point to instances when people like Bill Maher have made offensive statements about Sarah Palin. They ask where the outrage was then.

The response usually is that Rush Limbaugh is a political activist and Bill Maher is a comedian. Liberals say there is no parallel there.

Rick Santorum disagrees. When Santorum was asked about his opinion on Rush Limbaugh’s comments, he said, “He’s being absurd, but that’s you know, an entertainer can be absurd. He’s in a very different business than I am.”

Here are both comments. When Bill Maher called Sarah Palin a “dumb twat”, and when Rush Limbaugh called Sandra fluke a “slut” and “prostitute”. What do you think? Is there a difference?