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Thursday, June 28, 2007
Ann Coulter :: Townhall.com Columnist
That was no lady -- That was my husband
by Ann Coulter
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The Edwards campaign is apparently still running low on donations, so this week they went back to their top fundraiser: me.

I doubled the ratings of the lowest-rated cable news show on Tuesday by agreeing to go on for a full hour to promote my new paperback version of "Godless" -- a mistake I won't make again. As I was walking to the set, minutes before airtime, it was casually mentioned to me that Elizabeth Edwards, wife of Democratic presidential candidate, John Edwards, might call in.

For the first time in recorded history, the show's host did not interrupt a guest, but let Elizabeth Edwards ramble on and on, allowing her to browbeat me for being mean to her husband. (This delicate flower is very sensitive to rough words, having hired the Edwards' campaign staffer who wrote this: "What if Mary had taken Plan B after the Lord filled her with his hot, white, sticky Holy Spirit"?)

Say, did any TV host ever surprise Al Franken, Bill Maher or Arianna Huffington with a call by the wife of someone they've made nasty remarks about? How about a call to John Edwards from the wife of a doctor he bankrupted with his junk-science lawsuits?

I think I may have tuned out at some point, so I can only speak to the first 45 minutes of Elizabeth Edwards' harangue, but it mostly consisted of utterly dishonest renditions of things I had said on my "Good Morning America" interview this week and a column I wrote four years ago. (You can't rush Edwards' "rapid response team"!) She claimed I had launched unprovoked attacks on the Edwards' dead son and called for a terrorist attack on her husband.

These are bald-faced lies, and the mainstream media knows they are lies. Yet they were repeated ad nauseam on Wednesday by The Associated Press, the AOL pop-up window, CNN, NBC and -- stunningly -- the host of the lowest-rated cable show himself, who personally told me he knew the truth.

So for those of you who haven't read any of my five best-selling books: Liberals are driven by Satan and lie constantly.

Here is my full sentence on "Good Morning America," which the media deceptively truncated, referring to a joke I told about Edwards six months ago that made liberals cry: "But about the same time, you know, Bill Maher was not joking and saying he wished Dick Cheney had been killed in a terrorist attack -- so I've learned my lesson: If I'm going to say anything about John Edwards in the future, I'll just wish he had been killed in a terrorist assassination plot."

The usual nut Web sites posted a zillion denunciations of my appearance on "Good Morning America" immediately after I appeared Monday morning. But it didn't occur to any of them to simply lie about what I had said. No, it took them nearly 36 hours to concoct a version of that quote that included the Edwards part, but not the Maher part, or what English language speakers call: "the point."

By tomorrow it will be: "Ann Coulter tried to kill John Edwards on 'Good Morning America'!"

Judging by his fundraising efforts so far, I gather most of you don't know who John Edwards is -- unless you're an overpriced hair dresser. He's the trial lawyer who pretended in court to channel the spirit of a handicapped fetus in front of illiterate jurors to scam tens of millions of dollars off of innocent doctors. According to The New York Times, Edwards told one jury: "She speaks to you through me ... And I have to tell you right now -- I didn't plan to talk about this -- right now I feel her. I feel her presence. She's inside me, and she's talking to you."

Let me also quote from campaign consultant Bob Shrum's book "No Excuses":

"(Kerry) was even queasier about Edwards after they met. Edwards had told Kerry he was going to share a story with him that he'd never told anyone else -- that after his son Wade had been killed, he climbed onto the slab at the funeral home, laid there and hugged his body, and promised that he'd do all he could to make life better for people, to live up to Wade's ideals of service. Kerry was stunned, not moved, because, as he told me later, Edwards had recounted the same exact story to him, almost in the exact same words, a year or two before -- and with the same preface, that he'd never shared the memory with anyone else. Kerry said he found it chilling, and he decided he couldn't pick Edwards unless he met with him again."

Apparently every time Edwards began a story about his dead son with "I've never told anyone this before," everyone on the campaign could lip-sync the story with him.

As a commentator, I bring facts like these to the attention of the American people in a lively way. Thus, for example, in a column about the Democratic candidates for president written in 2003, I pointed out that the Democrats refused to discuss the economy or the war, but had recently "discovered a surprise campaign issue: It turns out that several of them have had a death in the family."

Among several examples of Democrats talking about a death in the family on the campaign trail was this one:

John Edwards injects his son's fatal car accident into his campaign by demanding that everyone notice how he refuses to inject his son's fatal car accident into his campaign.

Edwards has talked about his son's death in a 1996 car accident on "Good Morning America," in dozens of profiles and in his new book. ("It was and is the most important fact of my life.") His 1998 Senate campaign ads featured film footage of Edwards at a learning lab he founded in honor of his son, titled "The Wade Edwards Learning Lab." He wears his son's Outward Bound pin on his suit lapel. He was going to wear it on his sleeve, until someone suggested that might be a little too "on the nose."

If you want points for not using your son's death politically, don't you have to take down all those "Ask me about my son's death in a horrific car accident" bumper stickers? Edwards is like a politician who keeps announcing that he will not use his opponent's criminal record for partisan political advantage.

Manifestly, I was not making fun of their son's death; I was making fun of John Edwards' incredibly creepy habit of invoking his son's tragic death to advance his political career -- a practice so repellant, it even made John Kerry queasy.

I'm a little tired of losers trying to raise campaign cash or TV ratings off of my coattails, particularly when they use their afflictions or bereavement schedules to try to silence the opposition. From now on, I'm attacking only serious presidential candidates, like Dennis Kucinich.

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About The Author
Ann Coulter is a columnist and author of Guilty: Liberal Victims and Their Assault On America.
 
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Annie:

The Breck Girl just reinforced his girlie image, by having his wife fight his battles.

His hair may still have staying power but I predict his campaign is going down the drain with the rinse.

Good Job Ann
If ya'll are interested here is the video of what Ann said.

http://www.breitbart.tv/html/2258.html

This interview of her on the Chris Mathews show sounds like a setup to me. Conservatives should be on the lookout for this in the future on liberal shows.

And I don't know why she didn't link to the TH column for her article. In any case, here is the link.

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/AnnCoulter/2003/11/20/the_party_of_ideas

Awesome!
As usual.

Vic: It was a set up...

I read the following post by a blogger, Armymarinemom that read as follows.

"Hard Ball with Ann Coulter as a guest is live today outside of the MSNBC Washington DC studio. Before the program went live Chris Mathews joked that perhaps they would draw a bigger crowd if we were beheading Ann Coulter. The crowd was silent as was Ann Coulter after his remark so he repeated it! Still crickets from the audience."

Do you suppose his comments might conceivably be classified as hate speech? Hate mongering?

Excellent as usual Ann!
Sounds like you were "set up." It's amusing to watch various Liberals try and trap you. You slap them down so easily! But they keep trying. LOL!

John Edwards is indeed a Creep! Every time he speaks he sounds Creepy. Every time I see him talking out the side of his mouth, with his rapid eye blinking. He even looks Creepy!

And the fact that he keeps bringing his departed son into the campaign, using his death to tug on peoples heart strings. Makes him Sickening Creep!

Hey Cutter Bench..
.."His hair may still have staying power but I predict his campaign is going down the drain with the rinse."

Too funny!! Unfortunately, the directions do state repeat.

Ann was right about "infallability"
Elizabeth Edwards is a cancer patient with a dead son, defending her husband's honor. Talk about the political equivalent of a baby seal; there was absolutely no way for Ann to rebut her without looking cold and callous. That is why Edwards sent her to defend him. Elizabeth Edwards looks brave and tough, and Ann looks like a big meanie.

I actually laughed when Mrs. Edwards suggested that Ann focus on "issues" instead of personal attacks. That would be great, but John would have to actually take a position before we can discuss it. The Edwards campaign has centralized around being anti-Ann, rather than any defining issue.

Finally, I must give Edwards credit for supporting his wife through her illness, and how he was the first person to see her at the hospital. Its largely because he was chasing that ambulance anyway, but still.

To cutter bench
Ann said "As I was walking to the set, minutes before airtime, it was casually mentioned to me that Elizabeth Edwards, wife of Democratic presidential candidate, John Edwards, might call in.".

What I meant was that this ambush by Elizabeth Edwards was setup days in advance and Ann was not told until it was too late to back out of the show or formulate a response. Of course if Edwards held a non-stop rant it would be hard to get a response in anyway.

Perhaps the next time Edwards is on a talk show Ann should do a phone in.

Shallow swimmers
Liberals who attack Ann usually:
1. Understand only slap-stick humor.
2. Deal in only ad hominem (they think it means "add hominy" to what they're throwing)attacks.
3. Never have evidence or examples in context.
4. Will do anything for ratings.
5. Think that principles are school leaders who give speeches at the PTA and graduation.

Ann should have seen this coming, but I'm sure she'll do just fine.

Great change Ann
I was waiting for the column that I know you wrote, back when we all thought that the Senate was going to pass the Alien ScamAmnesty.

GREAT recovery on short notice....

Good Riddance
Coulter's lame defense here reminds me of Sen. Joseph McCarthy's sputtering response during the 1954 Army-McCarthy hearing to attorney Joseph Welch's question: Have you no sense of decency sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?" It was the beginning of the end for a demagogue, and I hope it is the beginning of the end for this disgusting, mean-spirited harridan. Before long she will be muttering to herself in the mirror about all the media people who fail to return her calls.

Fairness Doctrine
Perhaps the new "fairness doctrine" will allow equal time for Republican wives to ambush liberal pundits on live TV; Lynne Cheney VS Michael Moore anyone?

Edwards
To think that this person (and I'm using this term loosely) actually wants to be the pres of the USA.

john edwards is a reptile, it's too bad that Elizabeth Edwards doesn't have a real man to help her through her time of great need.

Johninoregan- good comparison
Welch gave his weepy "have you no decency" speech after McCarthy CORRECTLY identified a member of Welch's staff as a Communist. Furthermore, McCarthy has been exonnerated by the release of the "Venona" papers (Google it). It turns out the McCarthy UNDERestimated the number of Communist spies working for the government.

Similarly, Ann correctly pointed out that Edwards exploits any tragedy, even his own, to further his own interests; she pointed out that pining for the death of the Vice President at the hands of terrorists is not nearly as bad as implying that someone is a "faggot", in today's media climate; and she correctly stated that the Democrats use victims to state their case for them, so that anyone criticizing them appears to be mean.

So your comparison works, inasmuch as it points out the power of the media to villify and denounce American Patriots who ruffle their feathers.

Jimmy Carter:

Let’s face it, this guy made his living pulling on heart strings. And what else does he have to offer? I’m sure the Edwards’ team sat down and asked the question, “What is John most successful at doing? Hmmm… The goal may be different but it’s from his same old playbook.

Annie just holds up the mirror for the Left and they don’t like it because she reveals their true selves.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vic:

I agree. There’s no doubt in my mind, this was calculated and Matthews goading Ann prior to going on air was part of the set up. Just imagine Hillary being interviewed and a call coming in from someone that was fired from the Travel Office. Matthew’s head would be in a basket.

Mrs Edwards
I thought Mrs Edwards made a good point when she called attention to the kids standing behind Coulter, saying in effect that Coulter was teaching them by example to use nasty ad hominem attacks in politics rather than debate issues. I can't imagine that any parent would want his or her child to say the kind of cruel things to people that Coulter does---and does for a living.

It's a bit reminiscent of the time the local GOP sent a teenage girl up to Bill Clinton at a public appearance to ask whether he wore jockey shorts or boxers. (Many will remember that---I saw it happen on television---it was later admitted to be a strategy to embarrass Clinton since there was no way he could either answer or refuse to answer without being offensive to someone.) Using children in that way to score political points---well, some people may see nothing wrong with it, but a lot of parents would.

I'm pro-Ann Coulter

A little snippet here ... a little snippet there ....

Every conservative should know by now, the libs take everything Ann says completely out of context.

BIGbelly
LOL! Funny stuff!

This woman speaks for you
Just when you think it couldn't get any more ridiculous . . .

Good on you..
"These are bald-faced lies, and the mainstream media knows they are lies. Yet they were repeated ad nauseam on Wednesday by The Associated Press, the AOL pop-up window, CNN, NBC and -- stunningly -- the host of the lowest-rated cable show himself, who personally told me he knew the truth."

Ann's quote above..

Well there's a mouthful. And doesn't that say it all?

The problem with Ms. Coulter, and the distinction between her and most of the media "elites" mentioned, is that she has an ability to know, and see, so much of the truth, and these other people don't.

She has crafted her living on saying things in a large and witty way, to make people laugh, for the most part, because she is saying truth while being ironic. I suppose she has to be tough, for all she's seen-so she comes on as kind of pithy..

I admit, at times recently I saw and heard Ann, even the other night with my Husband, when we were watching nightly news, and thought-wow, harsh, Ann..what's with the hubris?

However, she was framed, and the news anchor was clearly reading writing that was meant to turn ignorant, or uninformed, viewers against her.

I think it is very sad that a group of people, as the liberals, have such a severe handicap and problem with moral clarity, and professions of truth.

It is even more sad that they should dig so low as to inconvenience one conservative author, just so they can use cancer, and kid's deaths, and personal frustration as a battle ax against one person-who burns their butter and hurts their day..

(Besides the fact that there *is* no remedy for *homophobia*, a fake disease created by evil social engineers, and liberal authors. The king has no clothes on this one folks, it's high time *some*one said it.)

That quote from an Edward's employee was vulgar, and disgusting, by the way..

Keep up the good work Ann, and God Bless you!

We still fondly remember the old days when you were on Bill Maher on ABC, before this administration, when Ann said so many things few of us had the ability, or forum, to say.

We were the family jumping up and down on their living room couch..

Shake the dust off your feet girl!

Good on you..


YES YES YES!!!
Attack Dennis Kucinich. Yes!
Great idea, keep attacking the little Marxist till his campaign finances are enough to run the rest of the dems out of the race!

Sincere condolences to the Edwards about their family loss and Mrs. Edward's illness.

Thank you, Ann for preventing the politicization of those personal trials.
Pity and sympathy may win in jury trials
but they can't be allowed to trump serious debate of ideas and character that Presidential candidates should be running on.

knuckles: thank you for the slapdown of john in oregon. Well said.

knuckles
Re: Fairness Doctrine... That only applies to Liberals. Were Matthews to have Hitlery on for instance. The only calls allowed would be from Dem/Lib supporters. And even if a Republican or Conservative managed to sneak through. They would be cut off immediately!