Posted on 07/16/2002 9:42:03 AM PDT by Forgiven_Sinner
The biggest catfight on daytime Wednesday wasn't on any soap opera. Nope, it was on NBC's usually claw-free Today Show.
Katie Couric dropped the perky persona and went hiss to diss with conservative writer Ann Coulter over perceived political bias.
Despite vowing she "didn't want to go tit for tat", the $65 million cohost of NBC's popular morning show did just that, sparring vigorously with the media-savvy Coulter.
Coulter was on the show to hawk her new book, Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right, which just happens to accuse Couric of liberal bias and calls her "the affable Eva Braun of morning television."
Before the 12-minute Q&A, Couric noted that Coulter had been referred to as "a right-wing telebimbo." Not long thereafter, Couric challenged Coulter's description.
Couric: "You call me the 'Eva Braun' of liberalism--"
"Affable," interjected Coulter.
"Thanks...that makes me feel soooo much better," replied Couric, her trademark grin giving way to a scowl.
Couric also took Coulter to task for claiming the Today host called Ronald Reagan "an airhead." Couric vehemently denied it, saying it was Regan biographer Edmund Morris, not her, who made the remark. Couric said she was just quoting Morris. "You used me an example of liberal bias against Ronald Reagan. I'm just wondering why you took that out of context."
"Well, I don't think I did," responded Coulter. "You're taking it out of context."
"No, I'm not," snapped Couric.
Couric also challenged Coulter for having alleged that Couric blamed the murder of gay-rights victim Matthew Shepard on Christian evangelicals.
Then Couric brought up Coulter's infamous quote about Muslim countries. "We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity," Coulter wrote. The comment, Couric pointed out, was too much even for the conservative periodical National Review, which fired Coulter. (Coulter maintains her contract simply ran out.)
"Do you still believe that's the best way to fight terrorism?" Couric demanded. Coulter offered up the "quote taken out of context" excuse, previously utilized by Couric.
Coulter insisted that after September 11 the first two points "had become official government policy." "As for converting them to Christianity, I think it might be a good idea to get them on some sort of hobby other than slaughtering infidels. I mean, perhaps that's the Peace Corps, perhaps it's working for Planned Parenthood, but I've never seen the transforming effect of anything like Christianity."
The spat ended with Couric's saying, "It's always interesting to talk to you, to say the least."
The Washington Post dubbed the showdown a contest of "The Morning Mugger and the Human Uzi" and declared Coulter the winner, because her book immediately jumped to number one on Amazon.com's bestseller list.
Couric, who made headlines earlier in the week for ending her two-year romance with television executive Tom Werner, has so far declined to comment on the bout.
Coulter, on the other hand, is milking it. She emailed the Post to say, "Katie is obviously charming--I wouldn't care what her political agenda was if she were my next-door neighbor rather than a popular TV host."
Then she rushed over to one of her favorite venues, Fox News Channel, to discuss the tête-à-tête, and, not content to refer to Couric as Hitler's mistress, compared the Today host to Nazi propagandist Josef Goebbels.
Coulter was on the show to hawk her new book, Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right, which just happens to accuse Couric of liberal bias and calls her "the affable Eva Braun of morning television."Before the 12-minute Q&A, Couric noted that Coulter had been referred to as "a right-wing telebimbo." Not long thereafter, Couric challenged Coulter's description.
Couric: "You call me the 'Eva Braun' of liberalism--"
"Affable," interjected Coulter.
The libs love to ignore the fact that 'Rats have called Republicans "nazis" on the congressional floor.
When you are a propagandist for party loyalty, what keeps a comparison to nazi propagandists off limits?
In congress Republicans were called nazis (with no defense of the comparison) because of their stands on the issues (child care, environment, etc.).
Headlines in the newspaper will blare: "Worst economy in 50 years!" (with the quotation marks). Then the body of the article will address matters of the economy and include, "Democrat strategist Carville says, 'What the Republicans have given us is the worst economy in 50 years!'"
This is just offered up as a fictional example, check you paper for daily incidents.
But sense you asked, here is Katie's Bio
I suppose you know that, and that's why you feel no compunction to add to your point. It's good that you don't suffer foolish comments gladly.
And I have the same tendency as you in that even if I don't like someone, if I think that another has taken an extremely cheap shot at them, I feel compelled to come to their defense.
You did good. You did what any warm blooded, flesh and bone Christian should do. You weren't mean spirited or low-rent, but you made your point just the same. So don't let anybody disuade you from continuing to participate in the discussions on this great site.
Why would you feel sorry for Katie? She is a public persona who habitually feels the need to "educate" the public to her way of thinking because she has a soapbox. God forbid ANYONE disagree with her liberal brainwashed ideas because she will rip them a new colon!
Do I, or should I, feel sorry for Katie because she lost a husband? Absolutely NOT. But I do feel sorry for the average homemaker who's husband dies, leaves her kids to raise - without a nanny, a mortgage to carry, and little to no job skills.
Furthermore, there are plenty of average-joe folks who volunteer their time without getting public credit & kudos for doing so, these too are my heros.
Couric is so terribly jealous.
Good catch, you are absolutely right!
Ann Coulter"ATE HER LUNCH --& her Dessert, Too!!"
Doc
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