A couple of days ago, I posted about the flap going on all over the political right’s landscape that is trying miserably to divert attention away from Ann Coulter.

I have carried on several email exchanges with some bloggers that did not appreciate, or continued to argue with me about my stance that Bill Maher’s comments were a non-issue and that the right was intentionally misrepresenting what Maher said on his show on Friday.

I saw this response from Bill Maher on The Huffington Post:

On Saturday, the website NewsBusters.org posted a story under the headline “Bill Maher Sorry the Assassination Attempt on Dick Cheney Failed.”

There’s just one problem: As a fair reading of the show’s transcript makes clear, I never said those words. Still, over the weekend, dozens of websites, mostly right wing, picked up the story (with headline intact) thus proliferating the myth that comic Maher somehow advocates the whacking of our Veep.

Don’t get me wrong: I’ve never joined the Dick Cheney Fan Club. But what I said Friday — and what I believe — is that the Vice President has presided over a bungled execution of a war in which thousands of our bravest continue to die. And I believe that were he not in power, our troops would likely come home sooner. But I don’t wish him dead.

Ironically, I made my comments during a discussion about Free Speech, which is one of the chief reasons that I love my country.

To see a complete transcript from the March 2, 2007 episode of “Real Time with Bill Maher” go to:
www.billmaher.com.

Exactly what I have been saying. He never said that he wished the VP dead. There is video of him not saying that he wished the VP dead. There are transcripts showing him not saying that he wished the VP dead.

As opposed to that Plan 9 from Outer Space creature, Ann Coulter’s video where she clearly calls John Edwards a “faggot.”* And her immediate (and only) response when confronted, which was that she didn’t mean to insult homosexuals by comparing them to Edwards.

What I really want to know is: Why is it so hard for any high-ranking Republican to admonish or otherwise distance themselves from Ann Coulter? The only statement I’ve seen in the media at all (aside from Romney’s “spokesperson” who offered a very lame cluck of the tongue) has been from John McCain who said simply, “The comments were wildly inappropriate.”

Wildly inappropriate? Is that the best that you can do? How about, “I am embarrassed for Ann Coulter. I am embarrassed that one of the most vocal and recognizable personalities in the Republican party could issue such a hate-filled, unenlightened statement.” Was that so difficult? Or were you too worried about pissing off that handful of people who applauded, I’ll say that again, APPLAUDED her speech?

Republicans could have used this situation as way to sway some gay voters to their side.**

On the flip side, at least three companies have issued statements that they are pulling advertisements from her website: Sallie Mae, NetBank, and Verizon. Verizon claimed they “did not know” that their advertisements were being featured on Ann’s site.

As if. Verizon gives a boatload of cash to the Republican party. But bravo for them recognizing the disaster that is Ann Coulter.

That’s something the rest of the Republican party seems reluctant, or unwilling to do.

* You can argue semantics here all you want, there is almost no distinction between “John Edwards is a faggot” and Ann’s comments.

**Not me, of course. It would take a complete reversal of everything I stand for to be swayed to the Republican party. Or a lobotomy.