Here is Rush Limbaugh on Mitt Romney in 2011.

The reason is simple: Romney is not a conservative. He’s not, folks. You can argue with me all day long on that, but he isn’t. What he has going for him is that he’s not Obama and that he is doing incredibly well in the debates because he’s done it a long time. He’s very seasoned. He never makes a mistake, and he’s going to keep winning these things if he never makes a mistake. It’s that simple. But I’m not personally ready to settle on anybody yet — and I know that neither are most of you, and I also know that most of you do not want this over now, before we’ve even had a single primary! All we’ve had are straw votes. You know that the Republican establishment’s trying to nail this down and end it. You know that that’s happening, and I know that you don’t want that to happen, and neither do I.

Now, as for Romney — and you should know, by the way, that I’ve met Romney. I’ve not played golf with him but I’ve met him, and I like all of these people. This isn’t personal, not with what country faces and so forth. I like him very much. I’ve spent some social time with him. He’s a fine guy. He’s very nice gentleman. He is a gentleman. But he’s not a conservative — and if you disagree, I’m open. The telephone lines are yours. Call and tell me what you think it is that makes him a principled conservative, what exactly is it. Is there something that he has said that shows conservative, principled leadership? What did he say? I’m open to it. Now, we’re told that governors are better than legislators when looking for presidents for a host of reasons.

However, what does this say about the conservatism of someone who endorsed Mitt Romney in 2008 -- one Rush Limbaugh of the EIB Network.

: I think now, based on the way the campaign has shaken out, that there probably is a candidate on our side who does embody all three legs of the conservative stool, and that’s Romney. The three stools or the three legs of the stool are national security/foreign policy, the social conservatives, and the fiscal conservatives. The social conservatives are the cultural people. The fiscal conservatives are the economic crowd: low taxes, smaller government, get out of the way.

So which is it, Rush? Is Romney a conservative or not? Has Romney changed since 2008, or has Limbaugh? I'll be the first to concede that Mitt Romney is not the most conservative candidate in the race for the GOP nomination, but that does not mean that he is not a conservative. I'll concede that Romney is not the darling of the Tea party set -- but that does not mean that he is not conservative. After all, as you noted in 2008, Romney is conservative on the three major areas of conservatism -- social, fiscal, and national security/foreign affairs. Is it today your position that this is not enough?

In other words, was Rush Limbaugh wrong in 2008, or is he wrong in 2011? Or worse yet, is this switch in positions merely a play at keeping his fan-base happy? What has changed?