I can't believe this! Or, maybe I can.

And I don't know which is worse.

For those who have not heard, Ann Coulter just said something offensive. For those who have not heard her comments, you should take a look at this video.

On the one hand, it really doesn't surprise me that she says this stuff. I mean, it is kind of like watching The Network: she started just a little too crazy to be "normal" then the rest of the right-wing punditry "caught up" with her bile -- so she had to push it a bit further. Soon, the only way that anyone listened to her was to hear what insanity would come from her mouth next. So, the only way for her to survive is to continue with this crap.

On the other hand, it does surprise me that the right continues to listen to her. I mean, Peter Finch's character in The Network was silenced by his own exectives [1]. I am tired of watching right-wing attack-dogs get away with this BS. It is not surprising that she would say something incendiary. She did so last year at the SAME EVENT! (link via Glenn Greenwald) And, while the right-wing will try and distance themselves from her, they will invite her back again next year. I guess if you push the envelope far enough to the right, you make the crazies seemingly less crazy. Meanwhile, John Kerry is painted as the left-wing crazy for a botche joke.

Although it does me no good to think about this for half a second (or write a blog about it for that matter), there needs to be some way to stand up to this kind of absurdity. I actually really appreciated Elizabeth Edwards' statement about the comment. While she is obviously asking for money, I think that this kind of statement is really written to organize (as much as one can effectively organize through blogs). In fact, I have a lot of respect for the way that the entire Edwards campaign has handled themselves throughout this whole thing. Their attitude seems to be, "Don't get mad, get even."

Just like bullies when I was young, it seems like this is the best advice for dealing with these bullies.

[1]Incidentally, Peter Finch's character was shot. I am not suggesting that Ann Coulter be shot. She, however, has advocated assissinating a Supreme Court justice.