Is Ann Coulter 'Banned for Life' from NBC?

The Drudge Report is blaring that conservative author, columnist, and poison-pen pundit Ann Coulter has been "banned for life" from appearing on NBC News shows, according to an anonymous "top" insider. "We are just not going to have her on any more." Coulter has been a glaring exception to the usually observed if unwritten rule that top-selling conservative authors don't get booked on the networks.

If this is true, NBC would be bowing deeply to liberal devotees of the Unfairness Doctrine, who are still complaining that Coulter is slated for a Tuesday morning appearance on the Early Show on CBS.

Earlier, Michael Calderone at Politico reported on the Coulter website messages:

Coulter wrote: "TODAY SHOW AND TODAY SHOW FOURTH HOUR: CANCELLED!"

"I guess this ends the 'they just want to get ratings' argument about liberal media bias," Coulter wrote underneath.

Even if Coulter had appeared, the fourth hour is a long way from her usual pose-striking in the first hour. How would Ann joust with Kathie Lee Gifford? Although it does remind us that one Rosie O'Donnell still lobbed some bombs from that location.

UPDATE: Geoff Dickens reminds me of the Coulter-Lauer battle of 2006. He reported then:

Matt Lauer has two different sets of standards for politically provocative authors. If you are on the left he laughs with you, if you are on the right he slams you. On this morning’s Today show Ann Coulter’s statements drew outrage from Matt but last October when Al Franken suggested Karl Rove and Lewis Libby be executed for treason Matt and the Today show crew laughed.