In Defense of Ann Coulter
By Steven M. Warshawsky
Posted On February 14, 2006
During her standing-room-only speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) last Friday, Ann Coulter made some rather blunt remarks about Muslims that have offended listeners on the left and right alike.
Yesterday on The American Spectator's website, in an article by David Hogberg entitled “Not Funny,” Ms. Coulter was even tarred as a “racist,” and castigated for damaging the “conservative movement” with her incendiary rhetoric. She also was blamed for “ruining” this year’s CPAC.
As someone who attended CPAC and heard Ms. Coulter’s speech, let me begin by flatly denying that Ms. Coulter’s speech “ruined” CPAC. There were a multitude of intelligent and informative speakers at this year’s CPAC – including Dick Cheney, John Bolton, George Will, Phyllis Schlafly, Mark Krikorian, John Fund, Ramesh Ponnuru, Oliver North, Gov. Rick Perry (TX), Sen. Mitch McConnell (KY), Newt Gingrich, and many others – whose contributions to a robust political debate were not lessened in the least by what Ms. Coulter said, or how she said it. CPAC is not a one-woman show. To suggest otherwise is, itself, a denigration of the conservative movement.
Moreover, the expressions of shock! shock! at Ms. Coulter’s incendiary remarks ring especially hollow, given that Ms. Coulter is the author of the most (in)famous commentary on 9/11: “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.” Nothing she said on Friday – in which she referred to our Islamic enemies by the derogatory term “rag heads” – compares to this statement.
I agree, of course, that it is not nice to refer to people with crude ethnic epithets. I also agree that Ms. Coulter’s remarks, if broadly construed, are potentially unfair to Muslims who do not share our enemies’ values and ambitions.
Nevertheless, only the most abstruse, self-righteous person (which includes the two young men who challenged Ms. Coulter during the question and answer period) would believe that Ms. Coulter was referring to “all” Muslims in her remarks. She quite clearly was addressing the radical Islamists who have declared war on the United States and its allies – and who are aggressively fighting that war, while we in the west debate the finer points of free speech.
Indeed, Ms. Coulter’s speech is the latest example of western political humor deemed offensive to Muslims that “sensitive” westerners – including conservatives who should know better – rush to criticize, so as to demonstrate what decent people they are. Apparently, these westerners believe that the way to “win the hearts and minds” of Muslims is to show them how willing we are to demonize the very people who are standing up to the radical Islamist bullying and terrorism that is going on across the globe. How utterly naïve.
At the risk of being labelled a “racist” myself, I confess I find it very troubling that conservative commentators like Mr. Hogberg are so offended by a few harsh words for our sworn enemies. Let us not forget that these enemies, who are committed to a way of life that is antithetical to our own, have killed thousands of our fellow citizens and would gladly kill millions more.
How can it be that calling these enemies “rag heads” is so intolerable, but killing them by the hundreds and thousands in Iraq and elsewhere is deserving of praise? After all, we on the right (and center) loudly applaud President Bush whenever he speaks of “destroying” our enemies. But Ann Coulter calling them “rag heads” is going too far? This is a ridiculous example of political correctness run amok. But “politically correct warfare” is an oxymoron, and a foolish and self-defeating way to fight a war.
Steven M. Warshawsky frequently comments on politics and current affairs from a conservative perspective. He can be reached at smwarshawsky@hotmail.com.
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