Jealous guardians of high standards or just . . . jealous? There was a rare bit of consensus on tonight's Fox News Watch, as pundits from left and right came together to condemn Ann Coulter for what they judged to be money-motivated excesses in her latest opus, 'Godless: The Church of Liberalism'. The focus was Coulter's controversial statements about the Jersey Girls - the 9/11 widows turned harsh Bush administration critics. Highlighted was this excerpt from Ann's book:
"These broads are millionaires, lionized on TV and in articles about them . . . I have never seen people enjoying their husbands' death so much."
Here's a sampling of statements from the News Watch crew:
National Review editor Rich Lowry observed that those who publicly proclaim their outrage "might as well go to the bank, take out bags of money, and hand them to Ann Coulter. This is bait. They take it every single time. And Ann, no matter what you think of her, is a marketing genius."
Lefty Neal Gabler: "I blame anyone who puts this lunatic on their air or gives her a forum. If she were a 300-pound balding man, she would be just a crackpot."
Jim Pinkerton, columnist at Newsday and TCS: "I think she jumped the shark on this one. She went too far. She crossed the line. She's like a heroin addict. She's addicted to publicity and money. And eventually it destroys you."
Summed up Jon Scott, guest-hosting for Eric Burns "ka-ching, ka-ching."
Finkelstein lives in the liberal haven of Ithaca, NY, where he hosts the award-winning public-access TV show 'Right Angle.' Contact Mark at mark@gunhill.net
