Pentagon drops Schultz from Armed Forces Radio-- before he starts.

As many of you know, Armed Forces Radio features an hour of Rush Limbaugh's show as part of its daily programming. And although progressive shows have been on the airwaves for a year and a half now, there's no 'balance' to be found. They get Rush, and that's that.

Until today, when the most-syndicated (heard on over 100 stations) progressive host in the nation, Ed Schultz, was to be picked up by AFR for an hour each day. Only it turns out that Schultz isn't going to be heard after all, as of this morning.

It gets worse-- the Pentagon official who contacted the show's producer with the news was one 'Allison Barber.' If the name rings a bell, it's because she was the woman caught on tape coaching the soldiers on their questions and answers before last week's presidential photo-op.

From the post (which is a must-read):

Barber told Holm that the Ed Schultz show would not start on AFR today because her boss, Pentagon spokesman Larry DiRita, was out of the country and couldn’t approve it. Barber also said she was going out of the country soon for a week-and-a-half. Holm asked Barber if the show would begin when DiRita and Barber returned. Barber said she couldn’t guarantee that.

Here’s the really interesting part. Barber told Holm she heard Ed announced that he would begin on AFR during his show Friday. Schultz’s show Friday began with audio outtakes of Barber sounding foolish as she rehearsed the troops “Q&A session” with Bush.

(Emphasis theirs)

UPDATE: Ed Schultz confirmed the story exactly as Think Progress reported it on his show today.