We've never heard Howard Stern's radio show, so we were surprised to read he's been a Bush supporter....until now:

Stern had essentially backed Bush on most issues (including the war in Iraq) and talked him up as a capable leader. Those days, however, are officially gone. He lately attacks the president as a "maniac" and an "arrogant bast*rd" while whipping up opposition to what he contends is a dangerous Christian-right shift in Washington. In short, Stern as of this month has become the anti-Rush Limbaugh. If the Republicans ever wondered what it might be like to have a left-leaning version of Limbaugh hacking them to bits, they're now finding out daily.

If you're wondering whether Stern's view could have an impact, the answer is maybe, yes:

Stern has an estimated 8.5 million weekly listeners to his morning program. These multitudes very much worship at the altar of Howard -- buying what he tells them to buy, calling whom he tells them to call, supporting what he tells them to support and (yes) voting how he tells them to vote.

....Michael Harrison, founder and publisher of Talkers magazine -- a monthly that covers the radio news / talk industry -- believes that "in the case of a close election, a guy like Howard Stern could tip the scales. ... A generation of Americans has grown up listening to him and are now in their 30s and 40s," Harrison says. "The one thing they all have in common is they love Howard Stern. And they trust him. When he tells them to be critical of Bush, they listen and respond."

Maybe we'll tune him in after all, [link via Last One Speaks]