Ann Coulter on Monday explained to Larry King why so many Americans think Barack Obama is a Muslim.
Appearing on CNN's "Larry King Live" with Professor Marc Lamont Hill, Coulter pointed out how odd it is that this number has increased since Obama was elected, "Usually the truth moves in the opposite direction."
She continued, "The answer is because he seems foreign to them, that he's pushing this European health care system on America, that he doesn't listen to the American people, that he doesn't cite God when he mentions the Declaration of Independence. He seems alien, and I keep telling them, 'No, he's not a Muslim, he's an atheist.'"
This led King to ask, "Do you need to believe in God to govern?" And that's when the fun started (video follows with transcript and commentary):
ANN COULTER: What I'm saying is, look, conservatives keep bringing up, for example, more Americans now think that Obama is a Muslim than did, you know, six months ago. Usually the truth moves in the opposite direction. Why do so many Americans say that they think Obama is --MARC LAMONT HILL: Because of the --
COULTER: The answer is -- no. The answer is --
HILL: The loonies.
COULTER: No.
HILL: Are you serious?
COULTER: The answer is because he seems foreign to them, that he's pushing this European health care system on America, that he doesn't listen to the American people, that he doesn't cite God when he mentions the "Declaration of Independence."
He seems -- he seems alien and that is -- and I keep telling them, "No, he's not a Muslim, he's an atheist." He's governing the way Bill Ayers would.
LARRY KING, HOST: So when he makes a statement he is a Christian, you're calling him a liar?
COULTER: Well, I wouldn't say I call all Democrats --
HILL: She thinks all guys was atheist.
(CROSSTALK)
COULTER: -- when they say they believe in god and I would love to get them under a polygraph test. I'm sorry they already picked your replacement because that was my idea for a TV show. I'd have liberals sit. Well, I'd sit where you are, I'd sit here.
I'll be on a polygraph, too, but I want liberals -- maybe not you -- under a polygraph.
HILL: Yes, I'm going to ask you.
COULTER: And I will ask them if they believe in God and if they love their country.
KING: By the way, do you have --
COULTER: You know I'd get a lot of them.
HILL: We could put Republicans the same thing and ask them if they're opposing policy because they really believe in it ideologically or they just want to block Obama. And I guarantee you most of them will fail as well.
COULTER: No.
HILL: Absolutely.
KING: Ann.
HILL: They have become the party of no.
KING: Hold it.
(CROSSTALK)
KING: Do you need to believe in God to govern?
COULTER: No, but why --
KING: So why do you point that out?
COULTER: Because they claim that they believe in god.
KING: But why does that matter, whether you believe or not? Why does it matter how you --
COULTER: Why -- well, if it doesn't matter, ask Obama? Why does he pretend to? Ask Bill Clinton?
KING: Because he was close --
(CROSSTALK)
KING: Because you said he was a Muslim.
COULTER: No, I didn't.
KING: Somebody said he was a Muslim so he had to defend it.
COULTER: So why doesn't he just come out for the beginning and why does Bill Clinton come out, and why doesn't Bob Kerry come out? And why doesn't John Kerry come out and say we don't believe in God. Are you kidding us?
HILL: Let's not --
(CROSSTALK)
HILL: We start operating from the assumption he actually doesn't believe in God. Barack Obama believes in God. Barack Obama believes in God. He's a man of faith and faith influenced many of his decisions.
That's not the problem. There are a lot of problems in this country. I mean if you look at the fact that over the last years, as you pointed out, that people believe he's Muslim now more than they did years ago, that says that this country is completely bonkers.
I mean there's nothing about his social policies that speak to Islam. I mean even if you don't like his tax policy, even if you don't like his education policy, if you don't like his health care policy, there is nothing Islamic about universal health care.
COULTER: Right.
HILL: It means that we're nuts. That's what it means.
COULTER: No. I will back you up on -- in one small way. The idea that he --
KING: Oh, Ann, don't give in --
(CROSSTALK)
HILL: No, no. This is progress. This is progress.
COULTER: The idea that he was not born in this country is -- madness for many reasons. My newspaper, along with all these other conservative newspapers, pointed out during 2002 [2008].
But I think the main reason it's crazy now if he weren't born in this country and if he had immigrated here, he'd probably love America more.
HILL: Now --
COULTER: No. He's more like Bill Ayers than a recent immigrant who came loving America.
Delicious!
In the end, I think Coulter raised some very interesting points that have eluded liberal media members for months. After all, the blame for America's perception of Obama is routinely placed on the citizenry.
Isn't a President who has the most powerful bully pulpit in the land responsible for how folks view him, especially when he has the media on his side?
If more people today believe him to be a Muslim than did on Inauguration Day, isn't it likely his actions in office are at least partially to blame?
Unfortunately, as the Ground Zero mosque issue and recent accusations that Americans are Islamophobic have taken center stage, Obama's fawning press have been mostly incapable of seeing and reporting his role in leading the citizens he serves to question his faith.
As Hill said, "I mean if you look at the fact that over the last years, as you pointed out, that people believe he's Muslim now more than they did years ago, that says that this country is completely bonkers."
In Hill's view - and that of most liberal media members - this increase is the fault of the citizenry and not the President or anything he's done since getting elected.
It must be nice to have the press at your side to blame the public for their changing perception of you!
Nicely done, Ann. Brava.
