OK, so the joke was tasteless...

...but worse than than that, it just wasn't that funny.

And anybody who appreciates South Park knows that tasteless can be hilarious.

At this weekend's White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, comedian Wanda Sykes took on fellow comedian Rush Limbaugh.

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (emphasis mine) -

Alas, Rush Limbaugh didn't find himself on the receiving end of such gentle ribbing. After accusing him of treachery for saying he hoped Mr. Obama -- and America -- failed, she added: "He's not saying anything differently than [what] Osama bin Laden is saying. You know you might want to look into this, sir, because I think Rush Limbaugh was the 20th hijacker, but he was so strung out on OxyContin, he missed his flight."

Sykes also delivered a line that mirrored Limbaugh's wish that the country fails because it elected Obama as president.

The audience reacted to the tasteless reference with a mix of groans and laughter. Ms. Sykes glanced at Mr. Obama, who wasn't exactly waving a finger of disapproval at her. "Too much?" Ms. Sykes asked the crowd. "You're laughing inside, I know you're laughing," she said before splashing more fuel on the fire. "Rush Limbaugh -- 'I hope the country fails.' I hope his kidneys fail. How about that?"

Aside from the tastelessness and inaccuracy of the comment (to the best of my knowledge and research, Limbaugh had nothing to do with the 9/11 hijackers. Those criminals were planning to fly passenger-laden planes into skyscrapers as an act of terrorism; Limbaugh is most noted for planning to fly a passenger plane with his buddies into the Dominican Republic as an act of sex tourism.

As can be seen, there was no need for Sykes to make up stuff about Limbaugh in order to reach for a punch line - the reality of Rush provides plenty of material to work with.

In addition, Sykes' comment was medically inaccurate - the side effects listed for oxycodone, the main ingredient of OxyContin (Limbaugh's drug of choice), don't include kidney failure.

The list includes hearing failure, and Limbaugh is already deaf.

The list also includes constipation, and Limbaugh is already full of sh!t.