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Ann Coulter (born 8 December, 1961 in New Canaan, Connecticut) is a conservative American author. Her books include High Crimes and Misdemeanors, Slander, Treason, and How to Talk to a Liberal. All of Coulter's books have been on the New York Times bestseller list. In addition, Ann Coulter is a legal correspondent for the magazine Human Events, writes a syndicated column for Universal Press Syndicate, and is a columnist for the Jewish World Review.

Today, Coulter sometimes makes guest appearances on national television. She has appeared on shows such as Hannity and Colmes, The O'Reilly Factor, American Morning With Paula Zahn, Crossfire, This Week with George Stephanopoulos, Good Morning America, Hardball with Chris Matthews, Scarborough Country, The Today Show, Real Time with Bill Maher and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

Books

Coulter gained much of her recent prominence with two books. The first, Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right, is about media bias in the United States. She claimed that many American journalists have past or present ties to the Democratic Party, which influences their reporting. She argues that George W. Bush has faced a difficult and unfair battle for positive coverage in the media ever since he decided to run for president, and that a similar battle for fair coverage has been waged by practically every Republican presidential candidate since Calvin Coolidge. In effect, she asserts, news coverage is unkind to Republican presidents.

Her follow-up book was Treason: Liberal Treachery from the Cold War to the War on Terrorism. Here she claimed that Democratic politicians and the media have severely undermined much of America's foreign policy goals since the end of World War II. Summarizing events of recent history, she accuses Democratic presidents such as John F. Kennedy and Harry Truman of being incompetent in the war against Communism and the Soviet Union, and Democratic members of Congress for similarly undermining the efforts of Republican presidents. In the final chapters she argues that a similar process is undermining the present Republican-led war on terror.

Controversial figure

Coulter debuted as a figure on the public scene during her days as a lawyer by helping Paula Jones sue President Bill Clinton for sexual harassment. Coulter stated that her goal was "bringing down the president", so she did not want Jones to settle the case, even though that had been Jones's express intention since the beginning of the suit (Uncovering Clinton: A Reporter’s Story, by Michael Isikoff, Crown Publishers, 1998, p. 183). However this does not necessarily mean that Coulter acted contrary to Jones' wishes. Although according to Coulter herself, quoted in the Hartford Courant in 1999, Coulter leaked the lurid details of Jones's testimony to the press in order to prevent Clinton from avoiding publicity by settling, the settlement her client could have received without the testimony being revealed may have been less than what she could have received with the pressure of publicity.

When the case did get to court, after Coulter had broken with Jones, it was summarily dismissed because Jones could not prove the necessary elements of sexual harassment. Jones did eventually gain a settlement from Clinton in exchange for not appealing the decision, although it was one-third the size she had been asking for and went to pay her now considerable legal expenses. Clinton perjuring himself during the Jones case eventually led to the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal for which Coulter had wished. She appeared on MSNBC as a commentator on the case, and went on to write a critical exposé of Clinton, boasting on Rivera Live that she "got a bestseller out of it", and telling Hannity & Colmes, "The reason we were doing it for Paula – well, was for Paula. She had been defamed and I think we can say we got her reputation back."

Coulter gained prominence in the crowded field of conservative commentators by combining her outspoken criticism of many liberal and Democratic Party movements, positions and figures over the past half-century with her own unique style of insult comedy. Coulter quickly became known for being a controversialist and relished the role (Coulter, August 2002). As she told the Sunday Times of London in 2002, "I am a polemicist. I am perfectly frank about that. I like to stir up the pot. I don't pretend to be impartial or balanced, as broadcasters do."

Two days after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, her syndicated column included discussion of her close friend Barbara K. Olson, who was killed on American Airlines Flight 77 when terrorists crashed it into The Pentagon. In the last paragraph, Coulter wrote, "We should invade their countries, kill their leaders, and convert them to Christianity." A week later she detailed a five-point plan guided by an "all-new standard for airline safety procedures:...procedures that make the airplane safer" of which point 3 proposed "requir passports to fly domestically. Passports can be forged," she continued, "but they can also be checked with the home country in case of any suspicious-looking swarthy males." Point 4 observed, "All 19 hijackers in last week's attack appear to have been aliens.... Congress could pass a law tomorrow requiring that all aliens from Arabic countries leave."

When the editors of the National Review Online, the website of a well-known conservative magazine that carried Coulter's syndicated column and had hired her as a contributing editor, said they would like to discuss making changes (Coulter, July 2002), she went on the national television show Politically Incorrect and accused them of censorship, claiming her pay was only five dollars per article. National Review Online then dropped her column and terminated her editorship (Goldberg, 2001).

Coulter was hired by USA Today to cover the 2004 Democratic National Convention, but was replaced with Jonah Goldberg after a "disagreement over editing" (Memmot, 2004). The column began "Here at the Spawn of Satan convention in Boston" and referred to an indefinite number of female attendees as "corn-fed, no make-up, natural fiber, no-bra needing, sandal-wearing, hirsute, somewhat fragrant hippie chick pie wagons". The newspaper did not print the column, but Coulter published it on her website .

On October 22, 2004, Coulter barely escaped being "pied" at a speech given to University of Arizona Young Republicans by a pair of political pranksters, Phillip Edgar Smith and William Zachary Wolff, both 24 years of age. They missed Coulter at close range but managed to hit a scrim behind her. Coulter's comment was, "From that far away they can't even hit me?"

Personal background

Coulter was born into a family that she has described as "upper middle class". She claims to have developed both her conservative opinions and her ascerbic rhetorical style growing up in Connecticut. Her father was a lawyer, known for his legal work in cases against labor unions. Coulter followed him into the legal profession.

As an undergraduate in Cornell University's College of Arts and Sciences, Coulter helped to launch a conservative newspaper, The Cornell Review, with funding provided by the Collegiate Network. Coulter graduated with honors from Cornell in 1984. She went on to receive her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School, where she was an editor of The Michigan Law Review. At Michigan, Coulter founded a local chapter of the Federalist Society. She also received training at the National Journalism Center. After practicing corporate law for four years, she became a congressional aide in Washington, D. C. in 1994, working as counsel to Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, then worked for a public interest law firm.

In 1996, MSNBC recruited her as a legal correspondent and political pundit, which began her media career. Though she was allowed to make many partisan and controversial comments as a panelist, she was fired in 1997 after an exchange with Bobby Muller, president of the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation, in which she said "no wonder you guys lost".

Coulter is viewed by many as an attractive woman, appearing on the covers of her books and making numerous appearances on political opinion programs.

Coulter, when asked if she is a fundamentalist Christian, told interviewer David Bowman, "I don't think I've described myself that way, but only because I'm from Connecticut. We just won't call ourselves that." She does not usually argue from a religious point of view, but she says she admires Jerry Falwell and opposes Pat Robertson (Slander, ch. 9). She is a strong supporter of Phyllis Schlafly, and, like her, opposes the Equal Rights Amendment.

Criticism of Ann Coulter

American liberal activist Al Franken calls Coulter "the reigning diva of the hysterical right" in his book Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them. In two chapters on Coulter, Franken lists what he believes are false and misleading statements in Coulter's Slander, and argues that she misrepresents the articles she cites. For example, Slander says of the 2000 Florida recount that "Bush had won any count" and cites a Washington Post article with the contrary headline, "Study Finds Gore Might Have Won Statewide Tally of All Uncounted Ballots." Franken also asserts that, while a newspaper's editorials are its official position, Ann Coulter represents sentences found anywhere in The New York Times as its official opinion. If a New York Times book review asks people on both sides of an issue to give their opinion, Ann Coulter will represent any quote she finds offensive as the official position of the newspaper.

In Slander Coulter writes that "liberals have absolutely no contact with the society they decry from their Park Avenue redoubts." Critics such as Joe Conason, author of Big Lies, point out that Coulter herself is a rich woman from an affluent background and that she does not similarly dismiss Republican politicians because of their wealth.

Treason, which contains many bold accusations against all Democrats, brought her under fire, even from many of her conservative supporters, such as Rush Limbaugh. Many felt her claim that Democrats such as Presidents Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy had worked against America's war on communism was unfounded. Treason's defense of Joe McCarthy also came under criticism from both conservatives and liberals, who argued that Coulter had simply failed to accurately research the facts in her attempt to rehabilitate the controversial senator. In an interview with David Bowman, Coulter said that Joe McCarthy is the deceased person she admires the most. Coulter argues in Treason that the Venona cables have vindicated McCarthy, proving there indeed were Soviet spies in the State Department (which McCarthy was supposedly ridiculed for believing).

Some of her critics have accused her of exploiting her looks for political purposes. Critic Jonathan Freedland of The Guardian noted that these critics "denounce her with such vitriol, and sexism, that she almost emerges--and she would barf at these words--as a target for feminist sympathy."

Quotes

The following quotes are examples of Coulter's flamboyant and polemical style, for which she is well-known. Many view these quotes as examples of a tongue-in-cheek use of hyperbole or satire, but others take them more seriously. Coulter herself once stated "Liberals love to pretend they don't understand hyperbole". However, she has also stated, "I believe everything I say".

On the environment:

• "The ethic of conservation is the explicit abnegation of man's dominion over the Earth. The lower species are here for our use. God said so: Go forth, be fruitful, multiply, and rape the planet--it's yours. That's our job: drilling, mining and stripping. Sweaters are the anti-Biblical view. Big gas-guzzling cars with phones and CD players and wet bars -- that's the Biblical view." - from her column "Oil Good; Democrats bad" October 12 2000

On certain Muslims and the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks:

• "We know who the homicidal maniacs are. They are the ones cheering and dancing right now. ¶ We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity. We weren't punctilious about locating and punishing only Hitler and his top officers. We carpet-bombed German cities; we killed civilians. That's war. And this is war." - from her syndicated column September 13 2001

On law:

• "I think we had enough laws about the turn-of-the-century. We don't need any more." Asked how far back would she go to repeal laws, she replied, "Well, before the New Deal... would be a good start." - Politically Incorrect May 7, 1997

• "The presumption of innocence only means you don't go right to jail." - Fox News, Hannity & Colmes August 24, 2001.

• "I have to say I'm all for public flogging. One type of criminal that a public humiliation might work particularly well with are the juvenile delinquents, a lot of whom consider it a badge of honor to be sent to juvenile detention. And it might not be such a cool thing in the 'hood to be flogged publicly." - MSNBC March 22, 1997.

• "If those kids had been carrying guns they would have gunned down this one gunman. ... Don't pray. Learn to use guns." - Politically Incorrect, December 18, 1997.

On the deterrence of the death penalty, liberals and John Walker Lindh:

• "When contemplating college liberals, you really regret once again that John Walker is not getting the death penalty. We need to execute people like John Walker in order to physically intimidate liberals, by making them realize that they can be killed, too. Otherwise, they will turn out to be outright traitors." - at the Conservative Political Action Conference February 26, 2002.

On liberals vs. Islamic terrorists:

• "Liberals hate America, they hate flag-wavers, they hate abortion opponents, they hate all religions except Islam, post 9/11. Even Islamic terrorists don't hate America like liberals do. They don't have the energy. If they had that much energy, they'd have indoor plumbing by now." - Talking Ann Coulter doll, Conservative Book Service (from Slander, pp. 5-6; published June 2002).

On the New York Times:

• "My only regret with Timothy McVeigh is he did not go to the New York Times building." - in a New York Observer interview August 26, 2002.

On saying the previous quote:

• "Of course I regret it. I should have added 'after everyone had left the building except the editors and the reporters.'" - in a rightwingnews.com interview June 26, 2003.

On Episcopalians:

• "The Episcopals (sic) don't demand much in the way of actual religious belief. They have girl priests, gay priests, gay bishops, gay marriages -- it's much like The New York Times editorial board. They acknowledge the Ten Commandments -- or "Moses' talking points" -- but hasten to add that they're not exactly "carved in stone." - from column "The Jesus Thing" January 7, 2004.

On the values of Christianity vs. the values of certain other sects:

• "Being nice to people is, in fact, one of the incidental tenets of Christianity (as opposed to other religions whose tenets are more along the lines of 'kill everyone who doesn't smell bad and doesn't answer to the name Mohammed')". - from her column (at townhall.com)March 4, 2004.

On women and democracy:

• "It would be a much better country if women did not vote. That is simply a fact. In fact, in every presidential election since 1950 - except Goldwater in '64 - the Republican would have won, if only the men had voted." - May 17, 2003.

On her friends:

• "My libertarian friends are probably getting a little upset now but I think that's because they never appreciate the benefits of local fascism." - MSNBC February 8, 1997.

On a pie throwing incident against her:

• "A couple alleged males attempted to sucker punch a 100-pound woman and missed. And they ended up with their faces smashed in and spending the night in the Pima County Jail, where I'm sure -- being good liberals -- their views on gay marriage will serve them well." - The Sean Hannity Show, October 22, 2004.

References

• Coulter, Ann (July 18, 2002). Donahue Transcipt July 18....Ann Coulter mops the floor with Phil. Interview with Phil Donahue. Free Republic. posted by Pistolshot, July 19, 2002.
• Coulter, Ann (August 26, 2002). Coultergeist. Interview with George Gurley. New York Observer reprinted at looksmart® findarticles.
• Goldberg, Jonah (October 3, 2001). L'affaire Coulter. National Review Online.
• Memmot, Mark (July 26, 2004). Coulter column canceled after editing dispute. USAToday.com. Updated July 27, 2004.
• West, Nigel (2000). Venona: The Greatest Secret of the Cold War. London: HarperCollins. ISBN 0006530710
• Isikoff, Michael (1999). Uncovering Clinton: A Reporter’s Story. New York: Crown Publishers. ISBN 0609603930

Books written

• How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must) : The World According to Ann Coulter (Crown Forum, 2004) ISBN 1400054184
• Treason: Liberal Treachery from the Cold War to the War on Terrorism (Crown Forum, 2003) ISBN 1400050308
• Feminist Fantasies by Phyllis Schlafly, foreword by Ann Coulter (Spence Publishing, 2003) ISBN 1890626465
• Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right (Crown Forum, 2002) ISBN 1400046610
• High Crimes and Misdemeanors: The Case Against Bill Clinton (Regnery Publishing, 1998) ISBN 0895261138

External links

• Ann Coulter's official website
• Horowitz, David (July 8, 2003). The trouble with "Treason". Frontpagemag.com.
• Coulter Watch "Watch site" for Ann Coulter includes extensive links to interviews and articles
• Matthews-Coulter transcript
• The Jewish World Review
• Fact-checking Ann Coulter

• 1961 births
• Columnists