Deadly Intent: Ann Coulter, Word Warrior

NY Times ^ | June 12, 2006 | David Carr

[Pharmboy]

ONCE again, Ann Coulter has a book in need of flogging, and once again, people are stunned by what a "vicious," "mean-spirited," "despicable" "hate-monger" they say she is.

Ms. Coulter, who seems afflicted by a kind of rhetorical compulsion, most recently labeled the widows of 9/11 "harpies." It is just one in a series from a spoken-word hit parade that seems to fly out of her mouth uninterrupted by conscience, rectitude or logic.

But Ann Coulter knows precisely what she is saying. Her current book, "Godless: The Church of Liberalism," is heading to the best-seller lists in part because she has a significant constituency and in part because no other author in American publishing is better at weaponizing words. With five books and more than a million copies in hardcover sales, she plays to win and is happy to take hostages along the way, including the women she calls "The Witches of East Brunswick."

"These broads are millionaires, lionized on TV and in articles about them, reveling in their status as celebrities and stalked by grief-arazzis. I have never seen people enjoying their husband's death so much." That typical Coulter sortie was hardly a misstep on some overamped talk show. That doozy of a sentence was written, edited, lawyered and then published. By now, she, along with Crown Publishing, have come up with a dexterous formula for kicking up the kind of fuss that sells books. It looks something like this:

She did not come out of the gate with such ruthless aplomb. As published at the height of the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal in 1998, "High Crimes and Misdemeanors" reflected her background as a lawyer and was fairly scholarly, considering what came after it. But once her lethally blond franchise became part of public consciousness, or at least

[Pharmboy]

He didn't mention that she is right--right about McCarthy, the Clintons, Islam, RINOs, etc. At least the Times is recognizing that she exists. This is the piece Drudge was talking about...

[wildcatf4f3]

Harpies!! I love it!

[Blueflag]

" ... interview came to mind last week when Ms. Coulter, back on a Couric-less "Today" program, treated Matt Lauer like a cat toy."

ROFLMAO

but it's also true. Matt is not just a light-weight, he's a fly-weight.

[Question Liberal Authority]

Her current book, "Godless: The Church of Liberalism," is heading to the best-seller lists in part because she has a significant constituency and in part because no other author in American publishing is better at weaponizing words.

Translated into English: "Her book is selling fast partly because she has a lot of fans, and partly because no other writer in America is as effective at being persuasive."

[BikerGold]

ONCE again, Ann Coulter has a book in need of flogging, and once again, people are stunned by what a "vicious," "mean-spirited," "despicable" "hate-monger" they say she is.

Who in the heck is "they"!!? No we know has name-called Ann any those liberal mantras.

And she should be assaulted in a worse manner than child-murderers or child-rapists!?? For pointing out some women are whining loudly and getting free press for that!??

[Question Liberal Authority]

That doozy of a sentence was written, edited, lawyered and then published.

You could say the same thing about every sentence that appears in the New York Times.

Only diff with Coulter, she won't have to run a correction on page A16 the next day when it is discovered that she made up all of her sources.

[Pharmboy]

Carr is a good writer, I'll give him that. This is about the mildest piece on Ann the Times could ever do...

[bill1952]

RULES

[Question Liberal Authority]

"You're defending yourself, you coward!" - Peter Lorre in The Raven (1962).

[Pharmboy]

I had never seen that pic of Ann before--thanks for posting. That one is Cornell and Connecticut all the way...

[Plymouth Sentinel]

I love Ann.

While I've seen her time and again on the various talk shows, I've never read one of her books.

I will buy the new one and read it.

[sure_fine]

I can see tear stains all over this, it must have been hard for him to write

[bill1952]

That one is Cornell and Connecticut all the way...

You nailed it. ;)

[American in Singapore]

Gosh, this is too easy:

You can accuse her of cynicism all you want, but the fact that she is one of the leading political writers of our age says something about the rest of us.

I will leave this as an exercise for the reader :-)

[GiovannaNicoletta]

LOL- it took the left how many days to pick themselves and their teeth up off the floor after the dismaying (for them) news that yet another book by Ann Coulter was coming out ripping away another piece of the veil from the massive lie that is liberalism. And still all they can do is attack Ann personally.

I'll be collecting my $10 a month Social Security checks before we actually see a point-by-point refutation by any liberal of the truths Ann states about the left. And that'll be a long time.

[Finalapproach29er]

Deadly intent? Oh please!! Gimme a break.......

[depenzz]

I walked into our local Borders book store yesterday and , to my surprise, Ann's book was the very first thing you see when you walk into the store. It was displayed where one had to walk to the left or right to get into the store. They had them stacked on the table. (I guess they know where their bread and butter comes from) lol

This is the first time her current book was the main display in this store.

[RandallFlagg]

REALLY?!

Wow! I might have to check our local shops. Perhaps I can loiter around and see/hear people when they pass by the stack.

[Pharmboy]

Flew back from DC yesterday via Dulles, and was also surprised by the robust display of "Godless" in the C Terminal Borders store.

[Pharmboy]

Well said.

And, I don't think Hillary! will be criticizing Ann again anythime soon--(talk about picking your teeth off the floor). HA!