Ann Coulter’s speech this year wasn’t on the official CPAC docket but was instead sponsored by the Young America’s Foundation and others. Still, there was a packed house with long lines that I wouldn’t have bothered to stand in were I not able to bypass them with press credentials.
As is her shtick, she threw plenty of grenades and said things that were outrageous for their own sake. Still, nothing that rose to the level of her recent CPAC bromides. Indeed, the whole thing seemed rather tired. She needs some new material.
Presumably, her attempt to make news by being “bad” this year was her recycling of the “B. Hussein Obama” bit. She referred to him as “the least dangerous Hussein I know.”
Her opener was a reprise of her John Edwards “faggot” line from last year, saying that Hillary Clinton had to change her campaign theme song because “I Am Woman” was already taken by Edwards.
The most clever line of the afternoon, repeated with a handful of variants, was her reference to Clinton with “Now that I’m on her team.”
Also on the Obama front, she said that he’s been “Coasting on his record” of his “greatest achievement,” that of “being born half black.” Contrary to the media nonsense about how Americans wouldn’t vote for him because he’s black, she observed that he wouldn’t even be a candidate otherwise. “He’d be Dick Durban without the experience.”
She spent most of her speech attacking John McCain and explaining why she’d prefer Clinton. She wonders who it is that would vote for McCain who didn’t vote for Bob Dole, the last war hero to run against a Clinton. (Of course, Hillary lacks much of her husband’s charisma.)
Her best line in this regard is that McCain would consult with his good friend Teddy Kennedy on issues while she’s “pretty sure Hillary won’t be listening to Teddy Kennedy anymore.”
Her nastiest line in that regard was that McCain would spend his term worrying about his “New York Times obituary.” That got mostly groans.
She allowed that she might vote for McCain if he chose Romney as his VP.
Overall, though, she views McCain as the “return of the Rockefeller Republicans” and says “it’s as if 1964 never happened.”
UPDATE: Others who were there give their takes: Ace O’Spades, John Hawkins, Dan Riehl, and Think Progress.
Event co-sponsor Townhall has the video.
