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June 7, 2006
Ann Coulter, Meet Ted Rall (Updated)

One of the topics that flew under my radar yesterday came from an interview Ann Coulter did with Matt Lauer on the Today show, promoting her new book, Godless. Other bloggers have picked up this story before I did, where I saw it at Rick Moran's Right Wing Nuthouse. Rick notes a particularly disturbing part of the transcript from the show:

LAUER: On the 9-11 widows, an in particular a group that had been critical of the administration:

COULTER: “These self-obsessed women seem genuinely unaware that 9-11 was an attack on our nation and acted like as if the terrorist attack only happened to them. They believe the entire country was required to marinate in their exquisite personal agony. Apparently, denouncing bush was part of the closure process.”

"These broads are millionaires, lionized on TV and in articles about them, reveling in their status as celebrities and stalked by griefparrazies. I have never seen people enjoying their husband’s death so much.”

Unlike Rick, I usually enjoy Ann's schtick to some degree. I can tell you from personal experience that she is one of the few authors who can bring energy and excitement to an interview, as well as a good sense of humor. The half-hour we did with her on the Northern Alliance Radio Network was one of our best interviews ever.

However, if one ever needed proof that the political spectrum resembles a circle where the extremes meet, this should provide it. In fact, it reminded me of another pundit whom the Left lionizes and the Right reviles: Ted Rall. Why Rall? Three years ago, Rall made essentially the same point in one of his crude cartoons and got rightly panned for it. It became one of the reasons that the Washington Post ended its association with Rall in 2004.

Whether Rall or Coulter says it, impugning the grief felt by 9/11 widows regardless of their politics is nothing short of despicable. It denies them their humanity and disregards the very public and horrific nature of their spouses' deaths. The attacks motivated a lot of us to become more active in politics in order to make sure our voices contribute to the debate, and it is impossible to argue that the 9/11 widows (and widowers, and children, and parents) have less standing to opine on foreign policy than Ann Coulter or Ted Rall.

This represents the downside of provocateurs, even those entertaining enough to enjoy for 80% of the time. Instead of arguing facts or philosophy, the provocateur usually relies on ad hominem attack in order to degrade and dismiss their opposition. A little of that goes a very long way, and unfortunately Coulter delivered it in droves yesterday. She owes these victims closest to 9/11 an abject apology and a retraction of her remarks, and she should pray that she doesn't ever experience the kind of loss that these people have had. Regardless of their politics, their grief was and is all too real, and that drives their public engagement. I doubt a single one of them wouldn't gladly trade their influence for one more day with the ones they lost. Shame on Ann for implying otherwise.

UPDATE: Thanks to Hugh Hewitt and Instapundit for their links tonight. I've gotten plenty of e-mail and a raft of comments on this, and the discussions have been enlightening.

Let me make this point clear, since it seems to have escaped some. Had Ann said in her book that the media should not shield the 9/11 widows and Cindy Sheehan from criticism or hold them up as unassailable voices with the only moral standing for commentary, I would have applauded that effort. Had she said that Kristen Breitweiser accrued too much influence and used it inappropriately, I would consider that just fair commentary; after all, Mrs. Breitweiser chose to go public and push policy, and that means opening one's self to criticism.

However, there is a HUGE difference between that and explicitly saying that these women are "enjoying" their husbands' deaths. It implies that they have reveled in their murders, and cared less for their husbands than for a few moments in the spotlight. It's cruel, it's irrational, and it's unnecessary for the point she makes. I don't care if she goes on then to argue the points I made above -- she lost me when she lost her humanity.

Ann really can be better than this, and she should apologize.

Michelle Malkin posts a subdued defense of Ann which CQ readers might wish to read. Flopping Aces tends to give Ann a pass on this. The Anchoress, however, most definitely does not, and the Commissar suggests a tour with Robert Kennedy, Jr might be in order.

Sphere It Digg! View blog reactions
Posted by Ed Morrissey at June 7, 2006 5:40 AM

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» Video: Coulter vs. Lauer from Hot Air
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Tracked on June 7, 2006 7:13 AM

» Anne Coulter Needs To Keep Quiet from The Strata-Sphere
Ed Morrissey has noticed a another Anne Coulter disaster-gaffe in her interview with Matt Lauer promoting her new book (which I will not be reading): LAUER: On the 9-11 widows, an in particular a group that had been critical of the administration: COU... [Read More]

Tracked on June 7, 2006 7:20 AM

» The Knucklehead of the day award from The Florida Masochist
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Tracked on June 7, 2006 7:46 AM

» What he said from Sister Toldjah
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Tracked on June 7, 2006 9:16 AM

» What he said from Sister Toldjah
Rick Moran blogs about the latest controversy involving comments Ann Coulter made in a recent interview with the Today Show’s Matt Lauer. First, the comments: LAUER: On the 9-11 widows, an in particular a group that had been critical of the admi... [Read More]

Tracked on June 7, 2006 9:16 AM

» On Boorishness from Blue Crab Boulevard
Rick Moran over at Right Wing Nut House smacks Ann Coulter for her behavior yesterday on the Today Show. Specifically addressing the remarks that have gotten a lot of attention in the blogosphere regarding the 9-11 widows. I won't reprint... [Read More]

Tracked on June 7, 2006 10:10 AM

» Ann Coulter Trashes 9/11 Widows on Today Show (Video) from Outside The Beltway | OTB
Ann Coulter has managed, once again, to inflame Left and Right alike with comments she made on the “Today” show with Matt Lauer. Here’s a transcript of the most controversial part: LAUER: On the 9-11 widows, an in particular a gro... [Read More]

Tracked on June 7, 2006 10:10 AM

» Coulter missing a humanity gene? from The Anchoress
My brother Thom asked that question after reading this piece about Ann Coulter’s latest over-reach. She’s never been my cuppa, as I have written before. While she is whip-smart, I’ve never liked her because Coulter tends to overdo ... [Read More]

Tracked on June 7, 2006 2:09 PM

» The Hate Debate from In Search Of Utopia
This woman is about as Crazy as they get... I am so glad the 9/11 widdows answered her. Bullies like Coulter are too often ignored by the Left, it is time she is challenged and called out on her crap.... [Read More]

Tracked on June 7, 2006 3:01 PM

» Common Decency from what if?
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Tracked on June 7, 2006 7:16 PM

» Coulter’d from Whither The Fool?
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Tracked on June 7, 2006 7:49 PM

» The Coulter Controversy from Ninth State
Ann Coulter’s gimmick is that she’s basically a right-wing version of a left-wing pundit, except she usually doesn’t cross the line. I take that back: she usually doesn’t do a Mike Powell-esque long jump over the line. ... [Read More]

Tracked on June 7, 2006 8:35 PM

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Tracked on June 7, 2006 9:44 PM

» The Coulter Attack from Flopping Aces
Is it harsh? Sure. A small number of widows have made claim to a moral authority on the War against Terror. They cannot be questioned because their husbands died…..give me a effin break. Why must everyone tiptoe around these things? Always PC... [Read More]

Tracked on June 7, 2006 10:25 PM

» Ann & the "Jersey Girls" from Donkey Cons
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Tracked on June 7, 2006 10:49 PM

» The Jersey Girls from Mark in Mexico
With the brouhaha surrounding Ann Coulter's comments on the four 9/11 widows, calling themselves The Jersey Girls, I thought it might be appropriate to take a look at some of the things these ladies have been saying. [Read More]

Tracked on June 7, 2006 11:24 PM

» These attacks on Coulter are a bunch of crap! from The Pink Flamingo Bar Grill
Standing on their husbands graves to raise themselves up high enough to have their voices heard and then they agitate for the defeat [Read More]

Tracked on June 7, 2006 11:49 PM

» The Intolerance of Ann Coulter from nospeedbumps.com
Ann Coulter is way to extreme for me. She actually hurts the causes of non-liberals (meaning conservatives, libertarians, and shades in between). She uses the same tactics that I so detest in many on the left. Like these lefties, she claims to know the... [Read More]

Tracked on June 8, 2006 12:32 AM

» Ann Coulter Tackles the Menace of Widows and Grieving Mothers from Jon Swift
In an appearance on the Today Show, promoting her autobiography, Godless, Ann Coulter courageously tackled the frightening menace of widows and grieving mothers. [Read More]

Tracked on June 8, 2006 3:59 AM

» Ann Coulter, Marketing Genius from La Shawn Barber's Corner
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Tracked on June 8, 2006 7:26 AM

» I Am from The Days of Dark Soup
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Tracked on June 8, 2006 12:23 PM

» Coulter Controversy from Wilson Fu
I usually agree with Captain Ed, but this time I think he and several others are off: However, there is a HUGE difference between that and explicitly saying that these women are "enjoying" their husbands' deaths. It implies that they have... [Read More]

Tracked on June 9, 2006 10:45 AM

» Ann Coulter; Godless; the Witches of East Brunswic from The Cassandra Page
I applaud not only Ann's criticism of the women, but the tone of Ann's counterattack. . . . Their usefulness to the MSM/DNC lies in their guerilla attacks, not in proposals or policies. Demanding a "commission" that would whitewash the causes of 9-... [Read More]

Tracked on June 12, 2006 3:44 PM

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