As much as I dislike these women, I've never heard them say they're speaking for their husbands. It is none of Ann's business whether their husbands would have approved or not, and it is the height of macabre cruelty for her to bring these dead men into a discussion that should be about political views, not speculation about their marital status had they lived.
Coulter's just being mean. That's her personality. When Harriett Miers was nominated, she called her "dumb" for going to Southern Methodist, a "cleaning lady," called for Bush's impeachment on former boyfriend Bill Maher's show, and suggested that Bush had gone back to drinking again.
Those who say she is defending Bush against the Jersey Girls should remember her remarks about him in the Harriett Miers nomination. They were as mean and as personal as she could get.
That's why Coulter's not married: men picture themselves on the receiving end of that and want no part of it.
That seems pretty personal, sinkspur. Do you know something we all don't about Ann's personal life? ;-)
I'm never one to think Ann is defending George Bush when she says such things as this. That's pretty clearly not her basic motive, for she is all over the lot when it comes to that.
You partially quoted me. I called into question the WAY she made her point and I suggested she probably did it to sell books. I absolutely disagree with your concusion that their marriages weren't her business, because I don't think she was commenting on the marriages but it sounded as though she was...that was my point. If you look at Ann's larger point she is saying that the deaths of their husbands on 9-11 is something they are now using to enter the public arena and pound on President Bush. I take her "personal", rhetorical commentary in that context.
Well, of course they don't say, "I speak for my husband". They ARE speaking, and their husbands can't come forward and say anything against their actions. I think it is like Cindy Sheehan. She doesn't say that she speaks for Casey. She simply runs her mouth and her actions against everything we happen to know Casey stood for (whereas we don't know their husbands).
Ann is forcing the issue into people's thick, gullible heads of whether or not these women might be trampling on their husbands graves, figuratively, as Cindy does her heroic son. That's what I get from it, not really any gratuitously cruel point about their marriages.
Yet the process of thinking through the whole thing is so complex that all most people are going to retain is that Ann made a nasty crack about the their personal lives, as you say. This will turn some people off, but when the incurably curious here that some want to boycott and even call on bookstores not to sell it, even more will probably buy it. Which was another point I made.
Not all men. I'd spank her.
here = hear