Edwards blasts Coulter, comes to Obama’s aid

[BeyondGeography]

<Presidential hopeful John Edwards Wednesday strongly criticized conservative pundit Ann Coulter for remarks she made about Edwards’s main rival for the Democratic nomination — Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.).

Coulter told Fox News that a poll showing Obama beating the top Republican presidential contenders was fabricated and could help al Qaeda, according to the Associated Press.

“Just when we thought Ann Coulter couldn’t take the politics of personal destruction any lower, she proved us wrong,” Edwards said. “Her outrageous comments are inexcusable and should not be tolerated in the public dialogue.”

Edwards had his own brush with Coulter earlier this year when she used a gay slur to describe the former North Carolina senator.

He argued that President Bush’s war on terror has “created a climate where people think it is OK to use the threat of terrorism as a guise for hateful political attacks.”>

http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/edwards-blasts-coulter-comes-to-obamas-aid-2007-05-09.html

[Bryan]

1. Very classy of Edwards

We can always use more people putting the boot into Ms. Coulter.

[elizm]

2. GOOD for him! n/t

[MADem]

3. That is flat-out hysterical!!!! Not the Edwards aids Obama bit, but the

remark that the poll showing Obama ahead of any GOP asswipe could HELP al Qaeda!!!

That crazy cretin has totally lost it. Wonder if the shark looked up her dress when she jumped it?

[Jackpine Radical]

26. "Wonder if the shark looked up her dress when she jumped it?"

Wonder what it saw if it did.

Is Ann an Innie or an Outie?

[MADem]

30. It probably just saw some funky drawers! NT

[hvn_nbr_2]

32. Don't know. The shark ain't talking. It died. nt

[AtomicKitten]

4. Nice.

:thumbsup:

[patrice]

5. It's very inspiring when our candidates stick up for each other!

Feels like Family! I love it!

:grouphug:

[UrbScotty]

6. Edwards is the classiest candidate in the race rightnow.

Both Edwards and Obama top my list right now.

[90-percent]

8. my comment

i8hthegop speaks for me on this one.

Other than the Iraq War Vote, I kinda like Edwards. He seems like he closely embraces the root principles of the democratic party better than the others....

Hillary is just too skull and bones bush/clinton in perpetuity for my liking.....

Obama is channeling RFK, which is good, too.

-85% Jimmy

[Bjornsdotter]

9. Same here

...they are at the top.

cheers

[elocs]

16. As an undecided here in Wisconsin, I like both Edwards and Obama.

In our primary I will vote for the candidate I like and who could use the support at that time. I am not keen to help steamroll some candidate through to the nomination because we are told they are ahead and a shoe-in to get the nomination.

[Bjornsdotter]

21. That's how I felt

...in 2004. I was a big Dean supporter, but by the time Illinois voted it was pretty much wrapped up for Kerry. I still voted Dean to show that he was my choice; surprisingly Dean did better than I thought he would in my area.

I'll vote the same way this time around....for my 1st choice.

Cheers

[Danieljay]

13. Why do you hate Hillary?

(just kidding) I find it fun to jump on the "why do you hate hillary" bandwagon now and then.

[illinoisprogressive]

18. I can name sooooo many reasons. lol.

[Lobster Martini]

7. Pretty nifty

Have to say that it's nice to have a candidate defend a rival, especially when the rival is doing better in polls. Edwards gets bonus cool points for that.

[Andrew_Lindsey]

10. To be honest, this is a pretty easy issue to defend, no?

I mean, it's not like defending Obama here is going to earn him any enemies he didn't already have, and as you see from this thread it will surely generate some goodwill.

Edwards seems like a nice guy, but he is nothing if not a fine politician.

[AtomicKitten]

12. true and true + it was cool

Edwards seems like a nice guy, but he is nothing if not a fine politician.

[Lobster Martini]

17. No, it's not the boldest move in the world, but still...

He didn't need to say anything at all, and my impression is that he said what was on his mind rather than what would help his campaign. That's not a bad thing. A small moral victory. Didn't hear other candidates telling Ann Coulter to shut up.

[Andrew_Lindsey]

28. No, he didn't need to...

And it is a cool thing to do...

All I am saying is that my impression of Edwards is that he is the consummate politician, which could be viewed as positive or negative dependent upon circumstance, and that this action falls in line with that designation. It was a no-risk, high-gain move that will generate good publicity and good will among weak Obama supporters. All in all it was a good play.

[BeyondGeography]

23. Bonus points from this corner, too

:toast:

[AtomicKitten]

35. I agree.

From purely an election standpoint, it's awesome when a candidate can do the right thing plus make a shrewd political move. It isn't often when those lines intersect.

Well done. :)

[gratuitous]

11. I hope this behavior spreads

Attack one Democrat, you attack us all, and we will respond. Every time.

[monmouth]

19. The comaraderie will drive the RW nuts!! I love it...

[AspenRose]

42. Me, too.

I'm glad he did it. (And I hope Obama privately showed his appreciation....I remember Bill Richardson criticizing Obama in public over that Hollywood fundraising thing with Hillary....)

[nevergiveup]

14. Although

I am leaning Obama at the moment, there has never been any question in my mind that John Edwards is a "class act". He has proven it again.

[illinoisprogressive]

15. That is extreemly nice of him. thanks Edwards! You've gone up in my book

[proud patriot]

20. Good for him

:hi:

[Forkboy]

22. Good...she's useless.

[Phredicles]

24. I still would probably vote for Obama ahead of Edwards, but

this is a good example of why I do like Edwards, and will be very happy to vote for him if he gets the nomination.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

25. I am impressed with Edwards

Frankly, he's down on my list of favorites, but he just went up a couple of notches for doing this.

[rosesaylavee]

27. A true gentleman.

Good for him.

[Roy]

29. Icing on the cake would have been to.....

tie her directly to the republican party with a pretty pink bow.

[applegrove]

31. Every time she opens her mouth and slurs one of the candidates..another

candidate should respond. Leading to consensus that she is a twit and Democrats in the end will stick together no matter how contentious they are during the nomination race.

I'd love to see that as policy.

[Arugula Latte]

33. Okay -- good. Now you two guys hook up as a team, m'kay?

Edwards-Obama, Obama-Edwards. Flip a coin and make it so! ... Dream Ticket!

[Colobo]

36. Dream ticket regardless of the order!

[Colobo]

34. Obama and Edwards are the best of the Dem race

[Cabcere]

37. Good for Edwards.

Ann Coulter is an idiotic jerk. Has that woman ever said anything that wasn't a) patently untrue, b) hateful, or c) both? :shrug:

[90-percent]

38. campaigns

In my opinion the candidate that most closely embraces and stays focused on CORE PRINCIPLES of the Democratic party and uses those principles as the basis for their public statements, they will be the front runner.

Those that base their campaign on chess board strategy maneuverings focused sol-lee (spelling?) on "winning" will collapse for lack of a sound structure of core principles.

If your beliefs are fair and right and reasoned and intelligent and generous and good, they will always carry you with the energy of their self evident virtues.

People as hateful as Coulter must be fought at every opportunity. Her principles, such as they are, seem to be those of the devil himself. Almost like she's a Cheney mistress or something?

-85% Jimmy

[sellitman]

39. Coulter is a sad excuse for a human being.

John on the other hand would make a great President and he isn't my 1st choice either. I would be proud to vote for him should he be our candidate.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

40. "Vote Frauder Annie" to the tune of "Poke Salad Annie"

should be her theme song. She has no credibility to speak to any topic based on her own voter fraud. She should be questioned about it in any and every forum she appears in.

[jtrockville]

41. Is there a "coulter cash" donation for set up at Barack's site? nm

[bling bling]

43. I really wish the Dems would huddle together and agree to a strategy here.

I think what Edwards did is a good start.

Ultimately, the message that I would like to see them getting across is that Ann Coulter is a nothing. A nobody. A skeleton in a black dress with a big mouth. And they have bigger, more important things to speak to the press about than responding to the drivel spewed by some loudmouth partisan hack.

Of course, the message would need to be more imaginative but it needs to be something biting that makes it clear that it's really beneath them to even respond to the likes of Ann Coulter. It's important, though, that they emphasize how Ann Coulter is a nobody BEFORE they just dismiss whatever she says and then move on.