[alnick]

That's right, she does do those things. That's why resorting to attacking her looks undermines the truth. It makes her seem credible because her detractors make personal attacks rather than going after the subject matter.

There are a lot of good conservatives who aren't especially attractive. Does that mean that anything they say can be refuted by changing the subject of anything they say to their physical appearance?

[NYCVirago]

That's right, she does do those things. That's why resorting to attacking her looks undermines the truth. It makes her seem credible because her detractors make personal attacks rather than going after the subject matter.

I agree -- for what it's worth, she's been writing a series of columns about losing weight (she was 100 pounds overweight, and has lost 30 pounds so far.) I admire her for sharing that struggle with her readers, knowing that she'll be subject to ridicule for it.

That being said, I think her review of The Passion was the most over-the-top and unfair of any of the reviews I've read about the movie. And her response to some valid criticisms of her review was just plain condescending. I don't need a degree in film criticism to know that it's hypocritical for her to decry The Passion for its violence, while writing a book praising Quentin Tarantino.