And the Ritual of Apology Continues

Although I would say it's warranted this time. You can't go out and call John Edwards a faggot (not as a slip of the tongue, either, but as part of prepared remarks), which is pretty much slander, and not expect people to get upset. Like the Human Rights Campaign.

Today, at the Conservative Political Action Conference sponsored by the American Conservative Union, right-wing pundit Ann Coulter spoke saying, “I was going to have a few comments on the other Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, but it turns out you have to go into rehab if you use the word ‘faggot,’ so I — so kind of an impasse, can’t really talk about Edwards.” The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest gay civil rights organization, strongly condemned Coulter’s remarks and called on those Republican leaders in attendance to follow suit.

“To interject this word into American political discourse is a vile and disgusting way to sink the debate to a new, all-time low,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “Make no doubt about it, these remarks go directly against what our Founding Fathers intended and have no place on the schoolyard, much less our country’s political arena.” [...]

The Conservative Political Action Conference was attended by 2008 Republican Presidential candidates: Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO), Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) and former Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-CA). Vice President Dick Cheney also attended the event.

Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney spoke before Coulter saying, ““I am happy to hear that after you hear from me, you will hear from Ann Coulter. That is a good thing.”

“We demand that every single Presidential candidate in attendance at this conference, along with Vice President Cheney stand up and publicly condemn this type of gutter-style politics,” continued Solmonese. “If not, then their silence will be deafening to the vast majority of Americans who believe this type of language belongs no where near the discussions about the future of our country.”

Of course, maybe us mean angry liberals don't quite get the point here. You see, "faggot" is NOT on George Carlin's list of the Seven Words You Can't Say on Television, the ones we love to use all the time! So it's perfectly within the bounds of acceptable discourse.

I don't think anyone really listens to Ann Coulter anymore, but what's interesting is the generally positive reaction the line got in the room. She is the mainstream of the modern conservative movement. So keep talking, Ann, until you piss the whole country off and have them run screaming in the other direction.