Update 3/6/07 - Ann fires back at critics. She defended herself on a 3 minute 25 second video on the "Hannity & Colmes" TV show aired Monday night, March 5th, 2007.
"'Faggot isn't offensive to gays; it has nothing to do with gays," Coulter said on "Hannity and Colmes" Monday night. "It's a schoolyard taunt meaning 'wuss,' and unless you're telling me that John Edwards is gay, it was not applied to a gay person."
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In the past I have thought Ann Coulter an interesting commentator and quite correct on a number of important issues. But I agree with the two commentaries I have reproduced below. Ann Coulter has gone too far, and has effectively disinvited herself from forums and podiums where she could have contributed much. That opportunity will now pass her by.
Dean Barnett writes on Ann Coulter:
Idiotic. Disgusting. Stupid. Moronic.
I guess you could say that Ann loves to shock us, but at this point, who’s shocked? She obviously can’t behave well enough to attend a respectable political gathering. It’s not a lack of intelligence. It’s an indifference to self-control and a preening sort of narcissism that compels her to need the spotlight, even if it’s unflattering.
(For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, here’s audio of her calling John Edwards a “faggot” at CPAC today.) [Dean Barnett updates here.]
Hugh Hewitt expresses his disgust:
Ann Coulter is a political comedian who, like Michael Moore, often offends, and sometimes crosses the bounds of decency.
Yesterday she entered the territory where Michael Richards went when he employed the n-word to abuse a heckler. When Coulter employed the f-word to abuse a candidate, she made herself radioactive because the word is a simply invitation to hate. It was repulsive.
I cannot imagine Coulter being invited to any panel or television appearance on which I would want to appear. Colleges and universities must also stop inviting her to appear as a representative of the conservative movement in America. She is not. You want smart, accomplished and funny conservative women? Ask K-Lo, Laura Ingraham or Carol Liebau to appear, or chose from scores of others. But not Ann Coulter --she represents only a snarl and a deep need to be noticed.
Sister Toldjah links to a lot more blogger comments