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What Ann Coulter really thinks

Posted: June 28, 2003
1:00 a.m. Eastern

© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com

If you've never heard of Ann Coulter, a good hint at understanding her philosophy can be summed up in her response to a question on national television this week.

When asked on ABC's "The View" if she had ever seen two women having sex, her response was vintage Coulter:

"Not since Katie Couric interviewed Hillary Clinton – that was the last time."

Ann Coulter

Firing such a shot is typical for the attorney, author, WorldNetDaily columnist, and self-described "windbag" whose image and ideas saturate the airwaves and Internet this week as she promotes her latest book, "Treason."

She is the darling of conservatives, and a bitter pill among liberals.

When WND polled readers this week on their thoughts about Coulter, more than half – 54 percent – said she was the "hottest political analyst on the scene," with another 30 percent saying she's brilliant and worthy of the presidency.

Three percent suggested Coulter is not outspoken enough, and another three percent said she was "long on caustic wit but short on real information." Even fewer responded she's only popular because she's "a babe," she's an "off-the-wall extremist" or that she's "mean-spirited."

Of course, that's just an unscientific popularity quiz, but it's an indicator of the affinity many have for Coulter.

Ann, who likes to claim she's 23 but sheepishly admits to being in her late thirties, grew up in New Canaan, Conn. She graduated with honors from Cornell University and the University of Michigan Law School, where she was an editor of the Michigan Law Review. After practicing law in New York City, she worked for the Senate Judiciary Committee, and also clerked for a federal judge.

Though currently a resident of Miami Beach, she spends a lot of time in New York, and – like Hillary Clinton – admits to being a Yankee fan.

She's quickly interjects, though, that Hillary roots for both of the Big Apple's teams, and all New Yorkers.

"It's like cheering for Republicans and Democrats," Ann says.

Coulter previously authored best-selling attacks on the left such as "High Crimes and Misdemeanors: The Case Against Bill Clinton," and "Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right."

In "Treason," she maintains that liberals in America consistently "hate their country," from demonizing anti-Communist Sen. Joe McCarthy in the Cold War era, to refusing to back the war against terrorism today.

When asked to explain, she said liberals actually enjoy rooting against the United States.

"They attack the country, the flag, 'God Bless America,' and denounce patriotic people as flag-waving yahoos. They oppose cleaning out the swamp where terrorism comes from and measures for domestic security. ... If they aren't traitors, how are we supposed to tell the difference?"

Ann says what she's trying to convey about McCarthy in her book will come as a shock to 90 percent of conservatives, to say nothing of liberals.

"You see how [liberals] will never quit, they will never stop defending a lie. People just got sick of arguing with them [about McCarthy's legacy]."

She groans when Hillary's new book "Living History" is mentioned, wondering how long she'll have "to make the same arguments over again to combat the same lies."

If Hillary is the hottest thing going for the left right now, Coulter is the polar opposite for the right.

When it comes to Mrs. Clinton, Ann says Americans don't doubt the senator will run for president, but she tends to think Hillary could not be elected unless the Republican Party makes a terrible blunder, which is within the realm of possibility.

"I get this chill up my spine wondering if Republicans will nominate another Bob Dole. Are Republicans that stupid? They are."

She points out when former President Bush broke his "read my lips, no new taxes" pledge in the middle of his first term, "he condemned this nation to Bill Clinton," adding that conservatives went ballistic and voted either for Ross Perot or no one at all.

Book-peddling aside, Ann's typical day begins "early," as she leaps out of bed at the break of noon.

Her writing ideas are usually sparked simply by reading the New York Times, which she calls the liberals' playbook, the embodiment of "the most well-expressed liberal thought at the moment."

As an example of how one-sided and lazy the Times and other media can be, she cites the recent love-fest coverage of Hillary's memoir debut.

Reports of people lining up outside New York bookstores to purchase the book sounded a little suspect, so Ann put on her investigative-reporter cap.

By combing through newspaper archives in a Lexis-Nexis search, Coulter discovered some key points no one else had disclosed.

First was that Charles Greinsky, one of the people quoted as rushing out at midnight to buy Hillary's book, turned out to be a longtime Clinton campaigner "who has been the Clintons' guest several times both at the White House and at their home in Chappaqua, N.Y."

She also discovered that another "big fan" purchasing Hillary's book, Greg Packer, is simply someone who longs to see his name in print, as she noted in her column:

It was easy for the Times to spell Packer's name right because he is apparently the entire media's designated "man on the street" for all articles ever written. He has appeared in news stories more than 100 times as a random member of the public. Packer was quoted on his reaction to military strikes against Iraq; he was quoted at the St. Patrick's Day Parade, the Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Veterans' Day Parade. He was quoted at not one – but two – New Year's Eve celebrations at Times Square. He was quoted at the opening of a new "Star Wars" movie, at the opening of an H&M clothing store on Fifth Avenue and at the opening of the viewing stand at Ground Zero. He has been quoted at Yankees games, Mets games, Jets games – even getting tickets for the Brooklyn Cyclones. He was quoted at a Clinton fund-raiser at Alec Baldwin's house in the Hamptons and the pope's visit to Giants stadium.
With the exception of Fox News, the Internet, and talk radio, Coulter does not hold print and broadcast journalists in high regard.

When I asked who she thinks is the worst newsperson, the biggest Bozo in the industry, without hesitation she cited former CBS news anchor Walter Cronkite.

Walter Cronkite, or Ted Baxter?

"His pomposity is overshadowed only by his rank stupidity," she said. "He's like a real-life Ted Baxter [of the 'Mary Tyler Moore Show'], but without the charm." Not wanting to assign the TV character portrayed by Ted Knight to Cronkite's level, Ann said Ted Baxter was actually kind of lovable.

Continuing her bodyslam, she recalled how Ronald Reagan told Richard Nixon during the Vietnam War that had the conflict been World War II, CBS News would have been tried for treason for Cronkite's anti-American coverage.

As her book promotion kicks into high gear, Coulter says one of her main objectives is to defend Reagan from the hypocrisy of his detractors.

She remembers how during his administration in the 1980s, liberals had a "relentless hysteria" warning how dangerous and frightening the president was in dealing with the Soviet Union. But when the "evil empire" finally crumbled, they claimed that Reagan was a non-factor, that it would have happened on anyone's watch. She wonders how it's possible Reagan could have been so "horribly frightening and completely irrelevant" at the same time.

While Coulter says she's achieved her career objectives, her goal in life now is "to change people's minds, to change America for the better."

To her, that means shedding truth on events, and educating people about the huge difference between the right and the left.

"The fundamental difference is that conservatives think man is created in God's image. Liberals think they [themselves] are gods – they want to create utopia on Earth with wealth redistribution, breaking the bonds of marriage and ties between parents and a child."

She suggests many people identify themselves as "liberal" only because it makes them sound like a nice person, but if you go through a checklist of questions such as:

Are you for or against affirmative action?

Do you want your taxes to go up or down?

Do you support the ability to get an abortion after the first trimester?
then most people would admit they're actually Republican.

"If you ask 'Should we give swarthy-looking men an extra look while boarding an airplane?,' 90 percent would agree," she says. "The other 10 percent work for the New York Times."

Being a successful writer is one thing, but having the good looks of a fashion model is another aspect that attracts many people to Coulter.

"Ann, your brains are exceeded only by your beauty," gushed Marty, a caller on Wednesday's Sean Hannity radio show, phoning in to speak with Ann. Such compliments are more the norm than the exception, as some WorldNetDaily readers wrote in the daily message board:

Ann is one of the most "to the point," "slam it in your face," entertaining political writers of all time (and not bad to look at).

What is wrong with a woman being smart, witty, well-written, gorgeous, a lawyer and a Republican?
Does she get inundated with marriage proposals?

"I think not enough," she says facetiously. She actually does receive a "fair bit," calling them very sweet.

"Some of the military ones are fabulous. They're never actually hitting on me ... but [reading them] brings tears to your eyes."

Ann is single, never married, and like her professional life, she leans to the right when it comes to men's affection.

"I mostly date conservatives. The real problem is just meeting people, since I'm working all the time."

She met the last few men she's dated in everyday circumstances – on an airplane, walking to church, and even going to the store for a Diet Coke.

Even in her personal life, the political rhetoric doesn't cease.

"I argue with all my conservative friends," she says. "Conservatives love to argue. We can always find some area of disagreement."

But she stresses her everyday discourse with pals is not what you see on the airwaves.

"There's a difference between arguing on TV and the kind of talk behind closed doors with my friends. With friends, it's more like a tennis game. TV is like professional wrestling."