We’ll say this for radio gasbag Rush Limbaugh: He’s a model of consistency. After he cost his show more than 40 longstanding advertisers in the wake of calling Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke a “slut” for her congressional testimony on birth control policy, Limbaugh was back at it today, this time going after The Washington Post’s humor columnist Alexandra Petri.

Yesterday, Petri riffed on a Politico report that Limbaugh’s former advertisers—including respectable companies like Netflix, Quicken Loans and JC Penney—have been replaced by specialty dating websites like AshleyMadison.com and SeekingArrangement.com. (AshleyMadison.com caters to people looking to cheat on their partners, while SeekingArrangement.com bills itself as “the world’s largest sugar daddy and sugar baby dating website.”)

In her column Wednesday, Petri wrote:

It turns out that people who really, truly still enjoy Rush Limbaugh’s show are — how do I put this? — jerks.

Well, that sent Limbaugh right over the edge again today. On his show, now 45 sponsors lighter than it was before he attacked Fluke, Limbaugh took issue with Petri’s needling. Limbaugh denied that AshleyMadison.com and SeekingArrangement.com are sponsors and said that when his affiliates air one of those websites’ ads during his show they are reprimanded. And of Petri, Limbaugh said:

Ms. Petri, I don’t know who feeds you your information—I have a pretty good guess— but you might want to double check here because you’ve written something that’s patently false. It’s an out and out lie complete with you b-i-itchy opinion in it and it’s untrue.

That line came in the middle of a seven-minute—and totally jerkbag—rant. But if there’s anything that’s untrue, it’s Limbaugh’s description of Petri. Having crossed paths with her a few times myself, I can confirm that she’s anything but b-i-itchy. And her column, while humorous, is rooted in fact.

Petri’s article Wednesday wasn’t some hit-and-run “you’re a jerk” piece. It did, even by her own admission, contain some misleading information about Limbaugh’s replacement advertisers. Yes, Limbaugh turns away the tawdry dating websites, but the jerk thing? That stands. Petri wrote today:

Still, the whole point of the piece was that the people most eager to be associated with Rush Limbaugh’s show are — well, advertisers seeking jerks. This has not changed.

…

Why apologize to someone who can’t stop after saying something is inaccurate and has to go on and on impugning you? (At first, it was about who would buy an ad. But Rush was less concerned with the ad than the ad hominem.)

…

Speaking of jerks. Limbaugh listeners, I am sorry for calling you jerks yesterday. Yesterday I had no proof. I should have waited until today, when your phone calls and tweets (“Ivy league preppy elitist no talent hack”) gave me ample evidence.

No, I’m sorry. That was snarky, if not “b-i- ,” well, you know. You aren’t jerks. You may enjoy listening to a man who calls people much worse things than jerks, and you may indulge in the practice yourself, but you are probably nice if one gets to know you. I bet if we had a sandwich together, we would have a good time.

So, some lessons learned. We should always be especially careful about getting the facts right. It’s also good not to be a jerk.

Listen to Rush Limbaugh not heeding that advice and acting like a total jerk toward Alexandra Petri: