President Obama wants Rush Limbaugh to fill the GOP leadership void.
The best stratagem in politics is to pick your best guy or gal and get him into a leadership position, most often by getting him or her elected.
The second best stratagem in politics is selecting the leader of your opposition--getting their worst guy or gal to lead your opposition.
I agree with Dank is Back's points and those he reiterates, made by others. But there's more to Obama's selection and elevation of Limbaugh.
Obama wants a foil--someone to champion against. Rush--rash, reactionary, vulgar, mean-spirited, plutocratic to the point of gluttony, loud, and all-about-himself--optimizes the portfolio of character traits opposite of President Obama's.
Politics, like nature, abhors a vacuum. With no one to lead the GOP, Obama archly selects and elevates Rush knowing that Rush has all the devotees he will ever get but has yet to realize his potential in alienating in the remaining majority of Americans to the point of hating him and everything he stands (or brays) for.
It's not enough for progressives to be right. We have to be right and we have to win.
The best stratagem in politics is to pick your best guy or gal and get him into a leadership position (often, getting him or her elected).
The second best stratagem in politics is selecting the leader of your opposition--getting their worst guy or gal to lead your opposition.
Put the two together and you set up the wholesale political slaughter of the opposition.
Yum yum.