Posted on 06/06/2006 5:13:56 AM PDT by governsleastgovernsbest
by Mark Finkelstein
June 6, 2006
While considerable attention focuses on Ann Coulter's more superficial charms, from a conservative perspective Ann's real beauty is her absolute refusal to buy into liberal logic, no matter how pervasive. That independence of mind was on display this morning during her interview with Matt Lauer. Ann was on to tout her new book, Godless: The Church of Liberalism, released today on . . . 6/6/6 - sign of the devil and all that.
The first example came in the the context of President Bush's current push for a constitutional amendment that would prohibit gay marriage. The liberal mantra on his initiative, as exemplified by Ann Curry's performance on yesterday's Today, is that this is a cynical political ploy and a waste of time when there are myriad 'real' issues out there to be addressed.
Right out of the box, Lauer invited her to buy into that logic. Lauer:
"David Gregory said if you ask people what they care abou they say Iraq and gas prices. Gay marriages are way down on the list, but that's what the president is talking about and what the Senate is taking up. Why?"
Coulter would have none of it:
"I don't know what people are talking about or how David Gregory knows that. But I do know that gay marriage amendments have been put on the ballots in about 20 states now and passed by far larger numbers than Bush won the election by."
Lauer then hit Ann with a classic bit of perceived liberal truth: "Here's how E.J. Dionne puts it in the Washington Post:'The Republican party thinks its base of social conservatives is a nest of dummies who have no memories and respond like bulls whenever red flags are waved in their faces.' Do you agree with that?
Coulter: "That the base are dummies or that Bush thinks that?"
Lauer: "That he can wave a red flag and they will run to the polls to respond to him?"
Coulter: "They don't need to respond to him. He's not running again."
Lauer: "They want the voters to turnout in the mid-term elections. They don't want to lose control of the congress."
Coulter: "Maybe they want to do what the voters want. Whatever you can say about whether or not Bush has a mandate, the mandate against gay marriage is pretty strong. It passed by like 85 percent in Mississippi. Even in Oregon, and that was the state that the groups supporting gay marriage fixated on and outspent their opponents by like 40:1, it passed even there. There is a mandate against gay marriage."
Lauer: "Do you think George Bush in his heart really cares strongly about that issue?"
Coulter: "I don't know what anybody cares in his heart."
Lauer: "Would you take a guess?"
Coulter: "I know what Americans think because they keep voting, over and over and over again overwhelmingly they reject gay marriage. So why is that a bad thing for politicians to respond to what is overwhelmingly a mandate?"
Ann's rejection of Lauer's liberal logic was again on stunning display a bit later in the interview. Lauer suggested that Pres. Bush's low approval ratings are attributable to Iraq. That in turn engendered the following exchange.
Coulter: "I don't think so. That's the one thing he is doing right and that the Democrats are incapable of doing. That is fighting the war on terror."
Lauer: "But I am talking about the war with Iraq, not the war on terror."
Coulter: "I consider them the same thing. We didn't invade Guatemala."
Cue the rim shot!
Today Show/NewsBusters Ann-Coulter-rocks ping.
Brilliant, beautiful, decisive. What more could a man ask for?
Thanks for all your hard work, GLGB.
Thanks for the great report. Ann of the amazing mind strikes again. All too often the "conservative" guest buys into the premise and thereby distorts the argument. Not so for Ann.
She's so smart, she can just play with Lauer-mouth.
That was mean. Lauer's just a kid.
Classic! I consider them the same thing. We didn't invade Guatemala."
What more could a conservative woman ask for? Ann Coulter gives Matt Lauer a wedgie that he won't soon forget. Just reached over and pulled his Tuesday panties straight UP. Ouch!
Coulter threads such as this one tend to serve as touchstones for showing which FReepers have latent liberal tendencies and actually support the destruction of the traditional family through liberal machinations such as gay marriage. They'll be here shortly to denounce Ann for her "red meat" rhetoric.
A beer?
A little noise drowned out by the roar of overwhelming truth.
RULES! WE MUST OBSERVE THE RULES!...............
i wouldn't call Ann's charms "superficial".
Lauer in a battle of wits? Then he is severely under-armed......
I'm not sure that was the best reply but the whole thing is really quite impressive.
I love Ann when she digs in and goes to head to head. Nothing better. Would pay to see it every single day.
She's terrific.
Indeed, she's an outstandingly brilliant woman! She can see through any BS the media puts out there.
This was the most aggressive response I have ever seen anyone give Matt Lauer - it was incredible - I was amazed at just how strongly Ann defended her position with zero apologies.
While Matt sits there with producers yelling in his ear - Ann just fired right back at him.
I must admit to you Ann Coulter - I am now a fan.
This interview reminds me of William F. Buckley being asked why Robert F. Kennedy refused to debate Buckley on "Firing Line"... I think Buckley's comment went something like: "Wouldn't the meat refuse the grinder, if given a choice?"
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