Thanks for the links.
The proper repsonse by Ramsey would have been to say,"I've been misinterpreted."
When he says categorically that
"Coplon was a spy. In the 1990s, the government declassified intercepts of coded messages from the mid-1940s between Russian agents describing her in unmistakable terms."
it's preceded by "At the end of the book, the authors explain why it did not."
In other words, the view that Coplon is a spy is that of the authors. The closest Ramsey himself comes to saying she was a spy in his own voice is when he says
"It was true that the Coplon case — and those against Hiss and the Rosenbergs — stigmatized left-wing views. But the case was not about that. It was about spying, and the spying, the authors conclude, was real."
But even there it's quite difficult to see whether the statement is in his voice, or if he's still describing the point of view of the book's authors.
I also find it odd that he refers to McCarthyism as stigmatizing what he apparently calls "liberals" and I usually call "leftists". Is he rejecting the common left-liberal premise that McCarthyism set back the cause of anti-Communism?
Coulter isn't the first conservative Ramsey's attacked. For instance, here's his negative review of Michelle Malkin:
http://michellemalkin.com/archives/000559.htm
http://michellemalkin.com/archives/003515.htm
And here is his negative appraisal of George W. Bush: http://libertyunbound.com/archive/2003_05/ramsey-disconnect.html
A few thoughts: Ramsey is a good journalist, but he was over vague in his article about the book about Coplon. When you're ambiguous, expect to be misinterpreted. Also, Ramsey is NOT a conservative--- he is a libertarian, and he should not represent himself as a conservative.
Finally, Ann makes her case as a lawyer does--- she brings the kitchen sink. She does so patiently and rationally, but not without invective. I'll agree that the last is problematic-- but it is far outweighed by the fact that she is perhaps the most unashamedly conservative pundit in the world. Most of us walk on our tip-toes with respect to the left--- Ann proudly marches on them.
http://michellemalkin.com/archives/003515.htm
. . .
These people are not "internees" - they are under no suspicion for the most part and were moved largely because we felt we could not control our own white citizen [sic] in California.
Looks like typical bureaucratic CYA boilerplate trying to use alleged California racism as a scapegoat.
A misinterpretation would be another matter, but Ramsey emailed Coulter asking her to correct her book and received no response. The paperback, "which came out well after my email to her" was not corrected.
The closest Ramsey himself comes to saying she was a spy in his own voice is when he says "It was true that the Coplon case — and those against Hiss and the Rosenbergs — stigmatized left-wing views. But the case was not about that. It was about spying, and the spying, the authors conclude, was real."
If you don't like that, you can always go a few paragraphs above, where he says, "Popular culture has named this period 'the McCarthy era' after the least cautious and most buffoonish of the anti-Communists. It has used the term 'witch hunts,' which neatly suggests a hunt for something that did not exist.
"But spies do exist. Through the story of the two trials, of the doddering judge who lets the defense attorney run wild, of the government's fumbles and lies, Coplon's innocence is never clear. It was always a leap of faith to believe she was carrying those documents as notes for a book."
Maybe that's not quite as clear, but it certainly doesn't qualify as "refusal to accept any evidence".
I also find it odd that he refers to McCarthyism as stigmatizing what he apparently calls "liberals" and I usually call "leftists". Is he rejecting the common left-liberal premise that McCarthyism set back the cause of anti-Communism?
He said that "the Coplon case — and those against Hiss and the Rosenbergs — stigmatized left-wing views." He was not referring to the McCarthy hearings. I don't know whether he is rejecting conventional wisdom on this or not.
what he apparently calls "liberals" and I usually call "leftists"
Me too.
Coulter isn't the first conservative Ramsey's attacked. For instance, here's his negative review of Michelle Malkin:
Sure they were negative reviews, but I wouldn't call those "attacks".
Also, Ramsey is NOT a conservative--- he is a libertarian, and he should not represent himself as a conservative.
Actually, one of his articles for Liberty magazine was titled "Why I am not a libertarian".