I was thinking last night about the nature of political discourse in our country. While many talk about the widening divide in our country, I disagree partially with that statement. I agree that we are far apart rhetorically. But I don't think we are so far apart substantively.

I wonder how we have moved from disagreeing on methods to now questioning each others motives. I used to love have ongoing discussions with good friends of mine about politics even when we disagreed because at the end of the day there was any acknowledgement that we both wanted the same thing. I have an African-American friend that I used to work with in San Diego that really epitomized this approach. We were generally far apart on the issues, but I had the highest respect for him because he was always willing to listen and consider what I had to say and he always made me evaluate my own beliefs. I hope that I did the same for him.

I am somewhat reluctant to write about Ann Coulter this week. The last thing I want to do is help her sell more copies of her book. But I am willing to take that chance in order to denounce her, to show that she is one of the greatest danger that exists to the conservative movement.

Ann is in the news of course because of the release of her new book Godless: The Church of Liberalism. As part of the book release, Ann is of course making the rounds at various media outlets to plug her book. Early this week she went on the Today Show to talk to Matt Lauer about her new book.

In particular, Matt Lauer questioned Ann about this excerpt from her book talking about some of the 9/11 widows.

"These broads are millionaires, lionized on TV and in articles about them, reveling in their status as celebrities and stalked by griefparrazies. I have never seen people enjoying their husband's death so much."

Captain Ed says it best about this:

...impugning the grief felt by 9/11 widows regardless of their politics is nothing short of despicable. It denies them their humanity and disregards the very public and horrific nature of their spouses' deaths. The attacks motivated a lot of us to become more active in politics in order to make sure our voices contribute to the debate, and it is impossible to argue that the 9/11 widows (and widowers, and children, and parents) have less standing to opine on foreign policy than Ann Coulter...

Of course Ed isn't the only conservative denoucing Coulter on this.
Hugh Hewitt:

Ann Coulter owes an apology to the widows of 9/11, and she should issue it immediately. This is beyond callous, beyond any notion of decency. It is disgusting.

RedState:

this sort of savage attack on people who have suffered a horrible tragedy is beyond any excusing and, really, beyond any apology.  Coulter, who was a friend of Barbara Olson (killed on the plane that hit the Pentagon), should know better; heck, any first-grader would know better.  Wrong, wrong, wrong.

The Anchoress:

...she is embodying everything I currently cannot abide in the "conservative movement", the arrogant presumption of absolute moral certitude (which is ugly, ugly, ugly coming from the left, so honey, it's not pretty when it's from the right, either), combined with the sense of over-confidence which is sending so many on the right into a self-destructive Roy Moore/Tom Tancredo plunge off a cliff.

Ace of Spades:

this nastiness is uncalled for. Even if something is actually felt deep inside -- even if you're filled with toxic hatred for very annoying, very presumptuous, very left-leaning women with an overweening sense of entitlement -- most people would find less abrasive ways to express such an emotion.  

Does that mean that Ann is just more honest than us "nancy boys"?