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You know it is funny how people look at the same thing entirely differently:

"I'm not spinning anything. She was not implying Edwards was gay" Sure she was. She could have hammered Edwards about any number of weaknesses -- his ambulance chasing, his Wal-mart hypocrisy, his 2-Americas-while-I-build-a-new-mansion hypocrisy. Any of those things apply directly to Edwards. Yet she pulls this of all things. Why?

"nor was she implying those husbands were preparing a divorce." She was engaging in baseless, inflammatory speculation. It is perfectly fine to question the audacity of these women, it is yet another thing to engage in baseless speculation. There were a lot of Coulter's critics who used those words as an opening to engage in baseless speculation about Coulter's personal life. It could be argued that she invited such speculation, but I wouldn't defend that either.

"So Ann wrote what she wrote which was a bit mean but still needed to be said." She could have said what needed to be said without being mean. Being mean only distracted from her valid points.

"And it appears to have worked somewhat. The Jersey Girls have piped down quite a bit." Again, funny how people perceive things differently. As I recall, the Jersey Girls were running around, campaigning for Kerry, and got very little attention. Most people didn't have a clue who they were. Then, Coulter made her personal attacks and, suddenly, they were a household name and every woman watching The Today Show and The View knew all about them. They made the rounds and were portrayed in a sympathetic light. They may have faded to the point where they were before the Coulter comments, but they've already inflicted their damage. It was a net PR bonus for the left, just as this is a net bonus for Edwards.

When conservatives chose to rise above the smear-through-victim strategy, rather than resort to their level, we did well in the elections. The American people saw the Wellstone funeral for what it was and voted heavily GOP. And, again, when the Jersey Girls were bashing Bush before the 2004 election, along with Moore etc., President Bush didn't dignify their attacks with a petty response. The people saw that for what it was and he got more votes than ever. Now we see the tide has turned against Bush and against the war and it isn't for a lack of fighting back. Certainly there were many factors that hurt the GOP, but I think comments like Coulter's helped to make the GOP look like the bad guys.

"Thank you, Annie!" Yes, thanks, indeed! Keep it up and you can screw up the 2008 election, too. Thank you, Annie!

Sure she was.

No, she wasn't. Faggot is derogatory term for homosexuals. It's also a derogatory term for heterosexual men who behave effeminately. What do you think she meant concerning Edwards?

She was engaging in baseless, inflammatory speculation.

No, what she was doing was make a very important and relevant point about a group of phonies who were doing real harm to real people and this country.

As I recall, the Jersey Girls were running around, campaigning for Kerry, and got very little attention.

I recall them very well. They got a lot of attention, and not just for the Kerry campaigning but for their testimony before the 9/11 Commission.

There were a lot of Coulter's critics who used those words as an opening to engage in baseless speculation about Coulter's personal life.

That was occuring long before she wrote Godless. In fact, she was the subjects of death threats and at least one physical assault. You ever hear her whine about it?

Certainly there were many factors that hurt the GOP, but I think comments like Coulter's helped to make the GOP look like the bad guys.

That's a fair point of view, although I don't agree with it, and regardless Ann, unlike Michael Moore, has not been lying about anything.

The reasons for the 2006 loss:

--Republican legislators acting like pandering Democratic hacks

--Attacks such as those made on Mark Foley and Curt Weldon and Rick Santorum -- and in Santorum's case none of them were deserved -- (did you see what the left is trying to do to his name?)

--Unremitting negative coverage of the Iraq War.

--More conservative Democratic candidates.

Ann Coulter's book had nada to do with the loss.