Ann Coulter: Difference between revisions

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In 1999 and 2000, Coulter considered running for [[United States House of Representatives|Congress]] from [[Connecticut]] on the [[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian Party]] ticket to throw the seat to the Democratic candidate and see that Republican Congressman [[Christopher Shays]] failed to gain re-election, as a punishment for Shays's voting against the [[impeachment]] of President [[Bill Clinton]]. She dropped the idea when the [[Libertarian Party of Connecticut]] declined to endorse her. <ref name = "arm candy">Lehman, Susan. "[http://www.salon.com/media/lehm/1999/03/04lehm.html Conservative pinup battles "arm candy" canard]". ''[[Salon.com]]''. [[March 4]] [[1999]]. Retrieved [[July 10]] [[2006]].</ref><ref>Browne, Harry. "[http://harrybrowne.org/articles/Coulter.htm We're more ambitious than the Republicans are]". ''[[Harry Browne]]''. [[September 22]] [[2000]].  Retrieved [[July 10]] [[2006]].</ref>
In 1999 and 2000, Coulter considered running for [[United States House of Representatives|Congress]] from [[Connecticut]] on the [[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian Party]] ticket to throw the seat to the Democratic candidate and see that Republican Congressman [[Christopher Shays]] failed to gain re-election, as a punishment for Shays's voting against the [[impeachment]] of President [[Bill Clinton]]. She dropped the idea when the [[Libertarian Party of Connecticut]] declined to endorse her. <ref name = "arm candy">Lehman, Susan. "[http://www.salon.com/media/lehm/1999/03/04lehm.html Conservative pinup battles "arm candy" canard]". ''[[Salon.com]]''. [[March 4]] [[1999]]. Retrieved [[July 10]] [[2006]].</ref><ref>Browne, Harry. "[http://harrybrowne.org/articles/Coulter.htm We're more ambitious than the Republicans are]". ''[[Harry Browne]]''. [[September 22]] [[2000]].  Retrieved [[July 10]] [[2006]].</ref>


== Legal and professional disputes ==
=== Irregularities in public registration ===


In 2006, Coulter was investigated by election officials in [[Florida]] for filing an inaccurate [[voter registration]] form in June 2005.<ref>Lisberg, Adam. "[http://www.nydailynews.com/06-08-2006/news/gossip/story/424613p-358230c.html Her disputed elex ballot sparks probe in Florida]". ''[[New York Daily News]]''. [[June 8]] [[2006]]. Retrieved [[July 10]] [[2006]].</ref><ref name="lambiet">Lambiet, Jose. "[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?s_hidethis=no&p_product=PBPB&p_theme=pbpb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_field_label-0=Author&p_field_label-1=title&p_bool_label-1=AND&s_dispstring=Ann%20Coulter%20AND%20date%2803/01/2006%20to%2005/11/2006%29&p_field_date-0=YMD_date&p_params_date-0=date:B,E&p_text_date-0=03/01/2006%20to%2005/11/2006%29&p_field_advanced-0=&p_text_advanced-0=%28%22Ann%20Coulter%22%29&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no Elections officials to query GOP pundit]". ''[[Palm Beach Post]]''. [[March 29]] [[2006]]. Retrieved [[July 10]] [[2006]].</ref><ref>E&P Staff. "[http://www.mediainfo.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002501233 Fla. Elections Office getting impatient with columnist Ann Coulter]". ''Editor & Publisher''. [[May 11]] [[2006]]. Retrieved [[July 10]] [[2006]].</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Ann Coulter says she won't cooperate in voting probe|publisher=Associated Press|url=http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003346999|date=November 1 2006}}</ref>
=== Alleged factual inaccuracies ===
Comedian, author, and liberal<ref>Kosova, Weston. "Live, from the Left, It's ..."]" ''[[Newsweek]]'' [[March 29]] [[2004]][http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4571119/] Retrieved on [[January 8]], [[2007]].</ref> political commentator [[Al Franken]] has questioned the factual accuracy of her books, and is also critical of her use of endnotes by taking the cited passages out of context.<ref name="frankenbook">{{cite book|author = Franken, Al|title=Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them|Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right|publisher = Dutton Books|year = 2003|id = ISBN 0-525-94764-7}}</ref> Others have investigated these charges, with equivocal results.<ref>Scherer, Michael; Secules, Sarah. "[http://cjr.org/issues/2002/6/slander-scherer.asp Books:  how slippery is ''Slander''?]" ''[[Columbia Journalism Review]].'' 2002. Retrieved on [[July 11]], [[2006]].</ref> Coulter responded to these and similar criticisms in a column called "Answering My Critics",<ref name=answering>Coulter, Ann. "[http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/coulter100903.asp Answering my critics]." ''[http://www.jewishworldreview.com/ Jewish World Review].'' [[October 9]], [[2003]]. Retrieved on [[July 11]], [[2006]].</ref> where she claims "the most devastating examples of my alleged 'lies' keep changing" and that some accusations of her factual inaccuracy are either outright wrong or really just "trivial" factual errors (e.g. referring to "endnotes" as "footnotes", or incorrectly identifying [[Evan Thomas]]'s grandfather, [[Socialist Party of America|Socialist Party]] presidential candidate [[Norman Thomas]], as his father). 
In ''Slander'', Coulter alleges [[The New York Times]] did not cover [[NASCAR]] driver [[Dale Earnhardt]]'s death until two days after he died:
<blockquote>The day after seven-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt died in a race at the Daytona 500, almost every newspaper in America carried the story on the front page.  Stock-car racing had been the nation's fastest-growing sport for a decade, and NASCAR the second-most-watched sport behind the NFL.  More Americans recognize the name Dale Earnhardt than, say, [[Maureen Dowd]]. (Manhattan liberals are dumbly blinking at that last sentence.)  It took ''The New York Times'' two days to deem Earnhardt's death sufficiently important to mention it on the first page.  Demonstrating the left's renowned populist touch, the article began, 'His death brought a silence to the Wal-Mart.'  The ''Times'' went on to report that in vast swaths of the country people watch stock-car racing.  Tacky people were mourning Dale Earnhardt all over the South!<ref name="slander">Coulter, Ann. ''Slander.'' 2006, Crown Forum Publishing. ISBN 1-4000-4661-0</ref></blockquote>
''The New York Times'' did, in fact, cover Earnhardt's death the same day that he died: sportswriter Robert Lipsyte authored an article for the front page that was published on [[February 18]], [[2001]].  Another front page article appeared in the ''Times'' on the following day.  Coulter cites an article indeed written two days after Earnhardt's death - [[Rick Bragg]], a [[Pulitzer Prize]] winner who grew up in the South, wrote a personal piece on Earnhardt and his passing - bringing the total to three times in which the ''Times'' covered Earnhardt, three days in a row.<ref name="frankenbook"/>
Coulter responded to this widely-publicized error by saying, "In my three best-selling books — making the case for a president's impeachment, accusing liberals of systematic lying and propagandizing, arguing that Joe McCarthy was a great American patriot, and detailing 50 years of treachery by the Democratic Party — this is the only vaguely substantive error the Ann Coulter hysterics have been able to produce, corrected soon after publication. CONGRATULATIONS, LIBERALS!!!"  She added, "At least I didn't miss the Ukrainian famine (cf., Pulitzer Prize-winning ''New York Times'' reporter [[Walter Duranty]])."<ref name="answering"/>
Coulter received some criticism for a statement she made on [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]] television's ''[[the fifth estate]]'', an investigative journalism program.  During an interview by host [[Bob McKeown]], Coulter said, "Canada used to be...one of our most...most loyal friends, and vice versa. I mean, Canada sent troops to Vietnam. Was Vietnam less containable and more of a threat than Saddam Hussein?"  McKeown contradicted her with, "No, actually Canada did not send troops to Vietnam."  After both had insisted repeatedly, the exchange ended with Coulter's saying, "Well, I’ll get back to you on that."<ref name="fifth estate">[http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/sticksandstones.html Sticks and Stones], ''the fifth estate'', CBC Television, aired [[January 26]], [[2005]]</ref>  This was afterward characterised by [[Keith Olbermann]] on [[Countdown_with_Keith_Olbermann|Countdown]] as an instance of "...Coulter humiliating herself on national TV...[but]...this time...on Canadian national TV."<ref name="5th estate: US">[http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/sticksandstones.html Sticks and Stones: US Response]</ref>  On the [[February 18]], [[2005]] edition of [[Washington Journal]], Coulter sought to justify her statement by referring to the roughly 10,000 Canadians who volunteered for the American armed forces, and thus fought in Vietnam, stating:<ref name="fifth estate"/>
<blockquote>Yes, 10,000 Canadian troops, at least. There is a War Memorial to them, at least for most of that. The Canadian Government didn't send troops [...] but [...] they came and fought with the Americans. So I was wrong. It turns out there were 10,000 Americans who happened to be born in Canada. .... I didn't believe [McKeown] because I had read about Canadian troops in Vietnam. I was right. People keep saying: "Well, he didn't tell you that they — 10,000 troops ran across to sign up with the American forces." I don't think he knew! He's a bubblehead, [[Ted Baxter]].''<ref name="5th estate: US"/><ref name=cbcwatch>http://www.cbcwatch.ca/?q=node/view/936</ref></blockquote>
John Cloud of ''Time'' magazine claimed this exchange was "one of the most popular alleged mistakes [by Coulter] pinging around the Web", but suggested that Coulter may have been right, on the basis that "Canada [sent] noncombat troops to Indochina in the 1950s and again to Vietnam in 1972".<ref>See Cloud, John. "[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1050304-10,00.html Ms. Right p. 10]". ''Time Magazine.'' [[April 25]], [[2005]]. Retrieved [[2001-02-11]].</ref> <ref>Cloud referred to the soldiers Canada contributed to the [[International Control Commission|ICC]] and the [[International Commission of Control and Supervision|ICCS]], the international commissions that oversaw, respectively, the cease-fire at the end of the [[First Indochina War]], in 1954, and the cease-fire that paused the Vietnam War, in 1973.
== Controversies over opinions and remarks ==
While she is in constant demand on the US lecture circuit,<ref>Freedland, Jonathan. "[http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,3605,956452,00.html An appalling magic]". ''The Guardian''. [[May 17]] [[2003]]. Retrieved on [[July 11]] [[2006]].</ref> Coulter's [[polemics]] sometimes start firestorms of [[controversy]], ranging from rowdy uprisings at many of the colleges where she speaks to protracted discussions in the media.
=== Speeches at college campuses ===
Coulter is a frequent and controversial speaker on [[college]] [[campus]]es, receiving both praise and protest. On one occasion, during an appearance at [[University of Arizona]], a [[Pieing|pie was thrown at her]].<ref name="pieing">Staff Writer. "[http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/1022042coulter1.html 'Al Pieda' targets Ann Coulter]." ''[[The Smoking Gun]].'' [[October 22]], [[2004]]. Retrieved on [[July 10]], [[2006]].</ref><ref>Wells, Holly. "[http://wc.arizona.edu/papers/98/236/01_4.html Former student enters plea in 2004 Coulter pie assault]." ''[[Arizona Daily Wildcat]].'' [[January 12]], [[2006]]. Retrieved on [[July 10]], [[2006]].</ref> Coulter has, on occasion, responded with insulting remarks towards hecklers and protestors who attend her speeches.<ref>"[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,155550,00.html The pie-proof Ann Coulter on hecklers]." ''[[Fox News]].'' [[May 4]], [[2005]]. Retrieved on [[July 13]], [[2006]].</ref><ref>http://www.anncoulter.com/cgi-local/article.cgi?article=50</ref><ref>Wong, Shelly K. "[http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1384190 Hecklers cause Coulter to cut UConn speech]." ''[[Associated Press]].'', [[December 7]], [[2005]]. Retrieved on [[July 10]], [[2006]].</ref><ref> Guidi, David. [http://media.www.usforacle.com/media/storage/paper880/news/2006/10/20/News/Controversial.Conservative.Pundit.Elicits.Praise.And.Protest.Thursday-2379854.shtml?sourcedomain=www.usforacle.com&MIIHost=media.collegepublisher.com "Controversial conservative pundit elicits praise and protest Thursday"]. [University of South Florida] ''The Oracle''. [[October 20]], [[2006]]. Retrieved on [[November 9]], [[2006]].</ref>
=== The 9/11 "Jersey Girls" ===
In her book ''[[Godless: The Church of Liberalism]]'', Coulter criticizes the four 9/11 widows known as the "[[Jersey Girls]];" in it Coulter wrote:
<blockquote>These broads are millionaires, lionized on TV and in articles about them, reveling in their status as celebrities and stalked by grief-arazzis. These self-obsessed women seemed genuinely unaware that 9/11 was an attack on our nation and acted as if the terrorist attacks happened only to them. ... I've never seen people enjoying their husbands' deaths so much ... the Democrat ratpack gals endorsed John Kerry for president ... cutting campaign commercials... how do we know their husbands weren't planning to divorce these [[Harpy|harpies]]?  Now that their shelf life is dwindling, they'd better hurry up and appear in ''[[Playboy]]''."<ref>Coulter, Ann. ''[[Godless: The Church of Liberalism]]''. 2006, ''[http://www.randomhouse.com/crown/forum.html Crown Forum Publishing].'' pp. 100-112.</ref></blockquote>
These statements received national attention after an interview on the Today Show, and were widely criticized.<ref>Grimaldi, Christine.  "[http://nbs.gmnews.com/news/2006/0615/Front_Page/036.html Writer's claims disturb families of 9/11 victims: Ann Coulter referred to group as the 'Witches of East Brunswick']." ''North Brunswick Sentinel''. [[July 16]], [[2006]].  Retrieved on [[November 10]], [[2006]] </ref><ref name="attack911">E&P Staff. "[http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002614297 Ann Coulter attacks 9/11 widows]." ''[[Editor & Publisher]].'' [[June 6]], [[2006]]. Retrieved on [[July 10]], [[2006]].</ref><ref>Staff Writer. "[http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/06/07/coulter.911.widows.ap/ Clinton slams Coulter's 'vicious' put-down of some 9/11 widows]." ''[[CNN]].'' [[June 7]], [[2006]].</ref><ref name="lathemalgar">Lathem, Niles; Algar, Selim. "[http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/67195.htm Give-'em-hill Fury vs. Coulter]." ''[[New York Post]].'' [[June 8]], [[2006]]. Retrieved on [[July 10]], [[2006]].</ref><ref>Staff Writer. "[http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=50585 9-11 commish lashes Coulter]." ''[[WorldNetDaily]].'' [[June 9]], [[2006]]. Retrieved on [[July 10]], [[2006]].</ref><ref>Elliot, Philip. "[http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2058973 9/11 Commissioner criticizes Coulter]." ''[[ABC News]].'' [[June 9]], [[2006]]. Retrieved on [[July 10]], [[2006]].</ref> Coulter has repeated her criticism of the Jersey Girls in subsequent columns.<ref>Coulter, Ann. "[http://www.anncoulter.com/cgi-local/printer_friendly.cgi?article=134 Party of rapist proud to be Godless]." ''[http://www.anncoulter.com/ anncoulter.com].'' [[June 14]], [[2006]]. Retrieved on [[July 10]], [[2006]].</ref><ref>Coulter, Ann. "[http://www.anncoulter.com/cgi-local/printer_friendly.cgi?article=135 Godless causes liberals to pray ... for a book burning]." [http://www.anncoulter.com/ anncoulter.com].  [[June 21]], [[2006]]. Retrieved on [[July 10]], [[2006]].</ref><ref name="attack911"/>
=== Comments about the ''New York Times'' ===
Coulter has had a long-running animosity toward what she sees to be the liberal bias of the ''New York Times''. ''Slander'' itself was dedicated to the ''New York Times'' as epitomizing the practice of stealthily calumniating conservatives.
In an interview with George Gurley of the ''New York Observer'' shortly after the publication of that book, it was mentioned that Coulter actually had friends and acquaintances who worked for the newspaper, namely Frank Bruni and [[David E. Sanger]].  Later in the interview, she exclaimed amusement at her recollection of the gratuitousness of the ''Times'' publishing two photos of George H. W. Bush throwing up at a diplomatic meeting in Japan, then said:
<blockquote>"Is your tape recorder running? Turn it on! I got something to say."
<br>Then she said: "My only regret with [[Timothy McVeigh]] is he did not go to the ''New York Times'' Building."
<br>I told her to be careful.
<br>"You’re right, after 9/11 I shouldn’t say that", she said, spotting a cab and grabbing it.<ref name="Coultergeist"> Gurley, George. [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=NYOB&p_theme=nyob&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_text_search-0=coultergeist&s_dispstring=coultergeist&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no "Coultergeist"].  ''New York Observer''.  [[August 26]], [[2002]].  Retrieved on [[October 7]], [[2006]].  [$2.95 charge required to view article]</ref></blockquote>
By way of context, during an interview earlier in June 2002 with [[Katie Couric]] to promote the same book, Coulter expressed frustration about "constant mischaracterization" through being misquoted.  "The idea that someone can go out and find one quote that will suddenly, you know, portray me—just dismiss her ideas, read no more, read no further, this person is crazy...is precisely what liberals do all the time", she said.<ref> Coulter, Ann.  [http://www.drudgereportarchives.com/data/2002/06/27/20020627_075636_flash.htm "Interview with Katie Couric on ''Slander''].  NBC.  ''Today''.  [[June 26]], [[2002]].  Reprinted at Drudge Report Archive.  Retrieved on [[October 7]], [[2006]]. </ref>
When asked by John Hawkins, the web manager of a right-wing blog, through a pre-written set of interview questions if she regretted the statement, Coulter replied by saying: "Of course I regret it. I should have added, 'after everyone had left the building except the editors and reporters.'"<ref>Hawkins, John. "[http://rightwingnews.com/interviews/anncoulter.php An interview with Ann Coulter]".  Retrieved on [[July 11]], [[2006]].</ref><ref>Transcript. "[http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0306/30/cf.00.html Interview with Ann Coulter]." ''[[CNN]] (Crossfire).'' [[June 30]], [[2003]]. Retrieved on [[July 11]], [[2006]].</ref> Lee Salem, the president of [[Universal Press Syndicate]], which distributes Coulter's column, later defended Coulter by suggesting that she was a brilliant [[List of satirists and satires|satirist]] who does not mean it when she periodically wishes violence or even death on liberals and their enablers.<ref>Salem, Lee. "[http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002763918 Universal Executive Responds to 'E&P' Column on Ann Coulter]." ''[[Editor & Publisher]].'' [[June 28]], [[2006]]. Retrieved on [[July 11]], [[2006]].</ref>
The subject came up again when she appeared on the [[Fox News]] program ''[[Hannity & Colmes]].'' [[Alan Colmes]] mentioned Salem's claim, and said to her that remarks like saying "Timothy McVeigh should have bombed ''The New York Times'' building" were "laughable happy satires, right?" then said he now realized that Coulter was "actually a ''liberal'' who is doing this to mock and parody the way conservatives think."  She replied, "Well, it's not working very well if that were my goal.  No, I think the Timothy McVeigh line was merely prescient after ''The New York Times'' has leapt beyond -- beyond nonsense straight into treason, last week", (referring to a ''Times'' report that revealed classified information about an anti-terrorism program of the U.S. Government involving surveillance of international financial transactions of persons suspected of having Al-qaida links).  Alan Colmes continued in this sarcastic vein when he responded, calling her remarks "great humor", and that it "belongs on [[Saturday Night Live]].  It belongs on [[The Daily Show]]."<ref>"Hannity and Colmes."  ''Fox News Channel''.  [[June 29]], [[2006]]</ref><ref name="snl">E&P Staff. "[http://www.mediainfo.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002765267 Coulter Affirms Previous Statement About Bombing 'NYT' Office]." ''[[Editor & Publisher]].'' [[June 30]], [[2006]]. Retrieved on [[July 11]], [[2006]].</ref>
=== Comments on Islam, Arabs, and terrorism ===
Since the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]], Coulter has advocated a more warlike response to terrorism. On [[September 12]] [[2001]], the day after the attacks, she wrote in her column:
<blockquote>Airports scrupulously apply the same laughably ineffective airport harassment to [[Suzy Chaffee|Suzy Chapstick]] as to Muslim [[Aircraft hijacking|hijackers]]. It is preposterous to assume every passenger is a potential crazed homicidal maniac. We know who the homicidal maniacs are. They are the ones cheering and dancing right now.
We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity. We weren't punctilious about locating and punishing only [[Hitler]] and his top officers. We [[carpet bombing|carpet-bombed]] German cities; we killed civilians. That's war. And this is war.<ref>Coulter, Ann. "[http://www.anncoulter.org/columns/2001/091301.htm This is war]". [http://www.anncoulter.org/ anncoulter.org]. [[September 12]] [[2001]]. Retrieved on [[July 11]] [[2006]].</ref></blockquote>
Coulter has been highly critical of the [[U.S. Department of Transportation]] and especially its then-secretary [[Norman Mineta]]. Her many criticisms include their refusal to use ethnic profiling as a component of airport screening.<ref>Coulter, Ann. "[http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/coulter022802.asp Mineta's Bataan death march]", ''Jewish World Review.'' [[February 28]] [[2002]]. Retrieved on [[July 11]] [[2006]].</ref>
Coulter also called for increasing the power of U.S. law enforcement agencies to search Muslims, describing the testimony of [[Coleen Rowley]], an FBI whistleblower who argued before the Senate in 2002 that in cases where Muslims suspected of a crime are known to be affiliated with radical fundamental Islamic groups or even simply had lived in England, authorities should be granted a search warrant based on probable cause, neither of which could have been considered a factor before 9/11, and which actually prevented [[Zacarias Moussaoui]], later convicted of conspiring with the 9/11 hijackers, from being searched prior to attacks.  Coulter cited a poll by the ''Daily Telegraph'' which found that 98 percent of Muslims between the ages of 20 to 45 said they would not fight for Britain in the War in Afghanistan, and that 48 percent said they would fight for Osama bin Laden, said she agreed with Rowley, "certainly after Sept 11", and concluded:  "The FBI allowed thousands of Americans to be slaughtered on the altar of political correctness. What more do liberals want?"<ref>Coulter, Ann. "[http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/coulter061302.asp This whistle-blower they like]", ''Jewish World Review'' [[June 13]] [[2002]]. Retrieved on [[October 1]], [[2006]].</ref>
She wrote in another column that she had reviewed the civil rights lawsuits against certain airlines to determine which airlines had subjected Arabs to the most "egregious discrimination" so that she could fly only that airline. She also said that the airline should be bragging instead of denying any of the charges of discrimination brought against them.<ref>Coulter, Ann. "[http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/coulter043004.asp Arab hijackers now eligible for pre-boarding]" ''Jewish World Review'' [[April 29]] [[2004]]. Retrieved on [[July 11]] [[2006]].</ref> In an interview with the ''The Guardian'' she quipped, "I think airlines ought to start advertising: 'We have the most [[civil rights]] lawsuits brought against us by Arabs.'"  When the interviewer replied by asking what Muslims would do for travel, she responded, "They could use flying carpets."<ref name=appmagic/>
One comment that drew criticism from the [[blogosphere]] as well as fellow conservatives<ref>Gossett, Sherrie. "[http://www.cnsnews.com/news/viewstory.asp?Page=\Culture\archive\200602\CUL20060213b.html Ann Coulter 'Raghead' comments spark blogger blacklash]" ''[[Cybercast News Service]]'' [[February 13]] [[2006]]. Retrieved on [[July 11]] [[2006]].</ref> was made during a speech at the [[Conservative Political Action Conference]] in February 2006, where she said, referring to the prospect of a nuclear-equipped Iran, "What if they start having one of these bipolar episodes with nuclear weapons? I think our motto should be, post-9-11: raghead talks tough, raghead faces consequences."<ref>Kurtz, Howard. "[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2006/02/14/BL2006021400549_pf.html Monumental misfire]" ''[[Washington Post]]'' [[February 14]] [[2006]]. Retrieved on [[July 11]] [[2006]].</ref> Coulter had previously written a nearly identical passage in her syndicated column: "...I believe our motto should be after 9/11: Jihad monkey talks tough; jihad monkey takes the consequences. Sorry, I realize that's offensive. How about 'camel jockey'? What? Now what'd I say? Boy, you tent merchants sure are touchy. Grow up, would you?"<ref>Coulter, Ann. [http://www.townhall.com/columnists/AnnCoulter/2006/02/15/muslim_bites_dog Muslim bites dog]. [[February 15]] [[2006]]</ref>


== References ==
== References ==

Revision as of 18:59, 28 March 2007

File:AnnCoulter01.jpg
Ann Coulter.

Ann Hart Coulter (born December 8, 1961)[1] is an American best-selling author, columnist, and conservative political commentator. Known for her outspoken style,[2] she frequently appears on television, radio and as a speaker at public and private events.[3]

Early life

Ann Coulter was born in New York City. Shortly thereafter, the family moved to New Canaan, Connecticut, where Coulter and her two older brothers were raised. Her father was an FBI agent who became a corporate attorney.[4]

As an undergraduate at Cornell, Coulter helped found The Cornell Review,[5] and was a member of the Delta Gamma national women's fraternity.[6] She graduated cum laude from Cornell in 1984, and received her law degree from the University of Michigan Law School, where she achieved membership in the Order of the Coif and was an editor of the Michigan Law Review.[7] At Michigan, Coulter founded a local chapter of the Federalist Society and was trained at the National Journalism Center.[8]

After law school, Coulter served as a law clerk for Pasco Bowman II of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in Kansas City. After a short time working in New York City in private practice, where she specialized in corporate law, Coulter left to work for the United States Senate Judiciary Committee after the Republicans took control of Congress in 1994. She handled crime and immigration issues for Senator Spencer Abraham of Michigan, and helped craft legislation that made it easier to deport aliens convicted of felonies. She later became a litigator with the Center For Individual Rights.

PARKING SOME REFERENCES TEMPORARILY [9][10] Get her online bio in here somehow. It was deleted as part of a cleanup.[11] [12]

Media career

Television, films and radio

Coulter's first national media appearance came after she was hired in 1996 by MSNBC as a legal correspondent. The network dismissed her at least twice due to her outspokenness. Since then, she has made frequent guest appearances on television, including The Today Show, Hannity and Colmes, The O'Reilly Factor, American Morning, Crossfire, Real Time, Politically Incorrect, and the fifth estate. She made her first film appearance in 2004, when she appeared in three films: Feeding the Beast, a made-for-television documentary on the "24-Hour News Revolution".[13], FahrenHYPE 9/11, a direct to video documentary designed to rebut Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 911, and Is It True What They Say About Ann?, a documentary on Coulter containing clips of interviews and speeches.[14] She is a frequent guest on many talk radio shows, including Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and Mike Gallagher.

Books

Coulter is the author of five books. All have appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list.

Her first book, High Crimes and Misdemeanors: The Case Against Bill Clinton (ISBN 0-89526-113-8), was published by Regnery Publishing in 1998. The book details Coulter's case for the impeachment of President Bill Clinton.

Her second book, Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right (ISBN 1-4000-4661-0), published by Crown Forum in 2002, remained number one on The New York Times Best Seller list for seven weeks. In Slander, Coulter argues that President George W. Bush faced an unfair battle for positive media coverage.

Her third book, Treason: Liberal Treachery from the Cold War to the War on Terrorism (ISBN 1-4000-5030-8), also published by Crown Forum, defends the presidency of Richard M. Nixon and claims Democratic politicians and the media have treasonously undermined United States foreign policy. She also claims that Annie Lee Moss was correctly identified by Joseph McCarthy as a Communist. Treason was published in 2003, and spent thirteen weeks on the Best Seller list.[15]

Crown Forum published a collection of Coulter's columns in 2004 as her fourth book, How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must): The World According to Ann Coulter (ISBN 1-4000-5418-4).

Coulter's fifth book, published by Crown Forum in 2006, is Godless: The Church of Liberalism (ISBN 1-4000-5420-6). Coulter argues, first, that liberalism rejects the idea of God and reviles people of faith, and second, that it bears all the attributes of a religion itself. Godless debuted at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list.[16]

Her forthcoming book, If Democrats Had Any Brains, They'd Be Republicans, is scheduled to be published by The Crown Publishing Group in October, 2007.[17]

Columns

In the late 1990s, Coulter's weekly (biweekly from 1999-2000) syndicated column for Universal Press Syndicate began appearing. Her column appears in about a hundred newspapers and on six conservative websites: WorldNetDaily, Townhall.com, Human Events Online, FrontPageMag, Jewish World Review and her own website. Her syndicator says, "Ann's client newspapers stick with her because she has a loyal fan base of conservative readers who look forward to reading her columns in their local newspapers."[18] Her column on her personal website, anncoulter.com, is also permanently linked to by the Drudge Report web page.[19]

In 1999, Coulter worked for a time as a regular columnist for George magazine.[20][21] Coulter also wrote exclusive columns weekly between 1998 and 2003 and occasionally since for the conservative magazine Human Events. In it, she discusses judicial rulings, constitutional issues, and legal matters affecting Congress and the executive branch.

Religious views

Coulter proclaims Christian religious beliefs. At one public lecture she proclaimed her faith in Jesus Christ, saying: "I don't care about anything else: Christ died for my sins and nothing else matters."[22] She contrasts her belief that "Jesus' distinctive message was: People are sinful and need to be redeemed, and this is your lucky day because I'm here to redeem you even though you don't deserve it, and I have to get the crap kicked out of me to do it", with the view that "according to liberals, the message of Jesus [...] is something along the lines of 'be nice to people', " which she describes as "one of the incidental tenets of Christianity"[23] Confronting some critics' views that her content and style of writing is un-Christian,[24][25] she has stated that "I'm a Christian first and a mean-spirited, bigoted conservative second, and don't you ever forget it."[26] She has also said: "... Christianity fuels everything I write. Being a Christian means that I am called upon to do battle against lies, injustice, cruelty, hypocrisy—you know, all the virtues in the church of liberalism."[27]

Political activities

In addition to her frequent media appearances and popular writings about politics and political beliefs, Coulter's political activities have included advising a plaintiff suing the president and considering a run for Congress.

The Paula Jones–Bill Clinton case

Coulter debuted as a public figure shortly before becoming an unpaid legal advisor for the attorneys representing Paula Jones in her sexual harassment suit against President Bill Clinton. Coulter's friend George Conway had been asked to assist Jones' attorneys, and shortly afterward Coulter, who wrote a column about the Paula Jones case for Human Events, was also asked to help; she began writing legal briefs for the case.

Coulter later stated that she would come to mistrust the motives of Jones' head lawyer, Joseph Cammaratta, who by August or September 1997 was advising Jones that her case was weak and to settle the case, if a favorable settlement could be negotiated.[11][28] From the onset, Jones had sought an apology from Clinton at least as eagerly as she sought a settlement.[29] However, in a later interview Coulter recounted that she herself had believed that the case was strong, that Jones was telling the truth, that Clinton should be held publicly accountable for his misconduct, and that a settlement would give the impression that Jones was merely interested in extorting money from the President.[11]

David Daley, who wrote the interview piece for the Hartford Courant recounted what followed:

Coulter played one particularly key role in keeping the Jones case alive. In Newsweek reporter Michael Isikoff's new book Uncovering Clinton: A Reporter's Story, Coulter is unmasked as the one who leaked word of Clinton's "distinguishing characteristic" — his reportedly bent penis that Jones said she could recognize and describe — to the news media. Her hope was to foster mistrust between the Clinton and Jones camps and forestall a settlement...

"I thought if I leaked the distinguishing characteristic it would show bad faith in negotiations. [Clinton lawyer] Bob Bennett would think Jones had leaked it. Cammaratta would know he himself hadn't leaked it and would get mad at Bennett. It might stall negotiations enough for me to get through to [Jones adviser] Susan Carpenter-McMillan to tell her that I thought settling would hurt Paula, that this would ruin her reputation, and that there were other lawyers working for her. Then 36 hours later, she returned my phone call.
"I just wanted to help Paula. I really think Paula Jones is a hero. I don't think I could have taken the abuse she came under. She's this poor little country girl and she has the most powerful man she's ever met hitting on her sexually, then denying it and smearing her as president. And she never did anything tacky. It's not like she was going on TV or trying to make a buck out of it."[11]

Coulter also told Isikoff: "We were terrified that Jones would settle. It was contrary to our purpose of bringing down the President."[28]

The case went to court after Jones broke with Coulter and her original legal team, and it was dismissed via summary judgment. The judge ruled that even if her allegations proved true, Jones did not show that she had suffered any damages, stating "...plaintiff has not demonstrated any tangible job detriment or adverse employment action for her refusal to submit to the governor's alleged advances. The president is therefore entitled to summary judgment on plaintiff's claim of quid pro quo sexual harassment". The ruling was appealed by Jones's lawyers. During the pendency of the appeal, Clinton settled with Jones for $850,000 ($151,000 after legal fees) in November 1998, in exchange for Jones' dismissal of the appealing. By then, the Jones lawsuit had led to the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal. Coulter wrote a book critical of Clinton called High Crimes and Misdemeanors: The Case Against Bill Clinton.

In October 2000, Jones revealed that she would pose for nude pictures in an adult magazine, saying she wanted to use the money to pay taxes and support her grade-school-aged children and in particular saying "I'm wanting to put them through college and maybe set up a college fund."[30] Coulter publicly denounced Jones, calling her "the trailer-park trash they said she was", (Coulter had earlier chastened Clinton supporters for calling Jones this name[31] after Clinton's former campaign strategist James Carville had made the widely-reported remark, "Drag a hundred-dollar bill through a trailer park, and you'll never know what you'll find") and a "fraud, at least to the extent of pretending to be an honorable and moral person."[30] Coulter wrote: "Paula surely was given more than a million dollars in free legal assistance from an array of legal talent she will never again encounter in her life, much less have busily working on her behalf. Some of those lawyers never asked for or received a dime for hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal work performed at great professional, financial and personal cost to themselves. Others got partial payments out of the settlement. But at least they got her reputation back. And now she's thrown it away."[32] Jones claimed not to have been offered any help with a book deal of her own or any other additional financial help after the lawsuit.[30]

Past congressional candidacy

In 1999 and 2000, Coulter considered running for Congress from Connecticut on the Libertarian Party ticket to throw the seat to the Democratic candidate and see that Republican Congressman Christopher Shays failed to gain re-election, as a punishment for Shays's voting against the impeachment of President Bill Clinton. She dropped the idea when the Libertarian Party of Connecticut declined to endorse her. [21][33]


References

  1. ↑ Grove, Lloyd. "Mystery of the ages", The Washington Post, September 6 2002. Retrieved on July 24 2006.
  2. ↑ Schmidt Tracey. "What Would Ann Coulter Do?" Time Magazine
  3. ↑ Staff Writer. "I love to pick fights with liberals" The Daily Telegraph July 7 2002. Retrieved on July 10 2006.
  4. ↑ Cloud, John. "Ms. Right". Time Magazine. April 25, 2005, p. 6 of 11. Retrieved on March 29, 2007.
  5. ↑ Horowitz, David. "Ann Coulter at Cornell". FrontPageMag.com. May 21 2001. Retrieved on July 10 2006.
  6. ↑ From the pens of Delta Gammas (PDF), Anchora of Delta Gamma, Summer 2005, p. 29 (16 in PDF). Retrieved on 2006-07-11.
  7. ↑ "Ann Coulter: bestselling author and political commentator (Profile)". premierespeakers.com. Retrieved on July 10 2006.
  8. ↑ Hallow, Ralph. "A lifelong voice for conservatives". The Washington Times. February 21 2006. Retrieved on July 10 2006.
  9. ↑ Cloud, John. "Ms. Right". Time Magazine. April 25, 2005. Retrieved on July 10 2006.
  10. ↑ Staff Writer. "An appalling magic". The Guardian, May 17 2003. Retrieved on July 10 2006.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Daley, David. "Ann Coulter: light's all shining on her". Hartford Courant. June 25 1999. [$2.50 charge required to view article]
  12. ↑ Moore, Frazier. "Conservative Coulter sounds off in her latest book; Treason aims to change views on McCarthy", Telegraph Herald, 2003-10-05, p. e2.
  13. ↑ "Feeding the Beast: The 24-Hour News Revolution (2004) (TV)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on July 10 2006.
  14. ↑ "Is It True What They Say About Ann? (2004)" Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on July 10 2006.
  15. ↑ Guthmann, Edward. "An outbreak of partisan warfare on the best-seller list is encouraging authors to stoke the fires of readers hungry for political squabbles -- and the Bay Area is fertile ground for Bush-whackers". San Francisco Chronicle. December 2 2003. Retrieved on July 10 2006
  16. ↑ "New York Times bestseller list: hardcover nonfiction". New York Times. June 25 2006. Retrieved on July 10 2006. [Registration required to view article]
  17. ↑ Randomhouse.com
  18. ↑ Astor, Dave; Mitchell, Greg. "Newspaper clients, and syndicate, stick with Coulter". Editor & Publisher. June 16 2006. Retrieved on July 10 2006.
  19. ↑ Drudge, Matt. "11/18/2001 edition of Drudge Report" DrudgeReportArchives.com. November 18 2001. Retrieved on October 25 2006
  20. ↑ Coulter, Ann. "A Republican tribute to John", www.uexpress.com, July 28 1999. Retrieved on October 22 2006.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Lehman, Susan. "Conservative pinup battles "arm candy" canard". Salon.com. March 4 1999. Retrieved July 10 2006.
  22. ↑ Olasky, Marvin. "South Park vs. Ann Coulter". World. August 13 2005. Retrieved on July 10 2006.
  23. ↑ The passion of the liberal, townhall.com, March 4 2004
  24. ↑ Norman,Tony. "If Ann Coulter's a Christian, I'll be damned". Commondreams.org. June 10 2006. Retrieved July 31,2006.
  25. ↑ Thoreau, Jackson. "U.S. founders and Christ were liberals: we cannot let right-wingers like Coulter define liberalism". OpEdNews.com. June 9 2006. Retrieved July 31, 2006.
  26. ↑ E&P Staff. "Coulter: Press Either 'Incompetent' or Full of 'Left-Wing Bias'". Editor and Publisher. July 31 2006. Retrieved July 31 2006.
  27. ↑ De Pasquale, Lisa. Exclusive interview: Coulter says book examines 'mental disorder' of Liberalism". Human Events. June 6 2006. Retrieved on July 10 2006.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Conason, Joe; Lyons, Gene. "Impeachment's little elves". Salon.com. March 4 2000. Retrieved July 10 2006.
  29. ↑ Barak, Daphne. "Jones would have been happy with an apology". Irish Examiner. September 23 1998. Retrieved on July 10 2006.
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 Jones, Paula. "Paula Jones describes why she's posing for Penthouse". Larry King Live. CNN. October 24 2000. Retrieved on October 24, 2000
  31. ↑ Ann Coulter ""'Trailer park trash' strikes back". Human Events. January 30 1998. Retrieved on November 18, 2006
  32. ↑ Coulter, Ann. "Clinton sure can pick 'em". Jewish World Review. October 30 2000. Retrieved July 11 2006.
  33. ↑ Browne, Harry. "We're more ambitious than the Republicans are". Harry Browne. September 22 2000. Retrieved July 10 2006.

External links

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