Guilty
Liberal "Victims" and Their Assault on America
by Ann Coulter


(Click for Amazon book review)

OnTheIssues.org BOOK REVIEW:

A better title for this book would be "Guilty Without Trial" or "Guilty Without Facts." Coulter declares all liberals guilty -- guilty of everything bad with America -- and then substantiates that guilt without presenting evidence -- just with further declarations rather than facts.

For example, John Dean wrote a book called Blind Ambition, cited on pp. 124-5 by Coulter as evidence of "another left-wing hoax." During Watergate, John Dean was Nixon's White House counsel; after Nixon fired him, he declared himself independent, but has never identified as a liberal or left-wing. Sure, maybe John Dean got the facts wrong -- he claimed Nixon planted evidence that Alger Hiss was a Soviet spy -- but it's just not plausible to group that as "another left-wing hoax." Coulter sounds like she means "bad guy" anytime she says "liberal" and "really bad guy" anytime she says "left-wing" -- her words don't mean what she is actually saying.

And on the facts of the Alger Hiss case, too, Coulter just asserts opinions as if they are facts. She claims (pp. 124-5), "Unfortunately for Dean's shocking exposé, decrypted Soviet cables were declassified in 1995, proving that Hiss had been a Soviet spy." That assertion is her opinion -- not settled fact. When the Soviet Union collapsed and its archives were opened, Richard Nixon and Alger Hiss himself asked for evidence one way or the other -- some experts claimed the evidence showed Alger Hiss was indeed a Soviet spy, while other experts claim the evidence shows no such thing. The official Russian version (not the Soviet Union version, but the post-Soviet Russians) says Alger Hiss was not ever a Soviet agent. Coulter is entitled to an opinion on this issue -- but she should state it as opinion, not as fact.

Even when Coulter does cite actual facts, she selects her facts very carefully. That's not quite the same as "lying," but it's pretty close. For example, she writes (p.126-7):

Now, let's move on to the no less politicized issue of Coulter's book cover. Coulter comments (p. 228) that conservatives are more attractive than liberals, for both men and women; she says we all had to "pretend the unathletic fat kid from Arkansas was a dreamboat… For years we'd been told how unbelievably sexy Bill Clinton is." Coulter contributes to this debate with her book covers, which display a clear trend of more body exposure over the years:

2003: Just a pretty face

2004: Body, but clothed

2005: Bare arms

2007: Some cleavage

2008: Sleeveless cleavage

2009: Shoulderless cleavage

Coulter's 2011 book, "Demonic," has no picture at all; the trend-spotting reader is left to assume that her original cover art exposed too much for the censors, and therefore the picture was removed.

In any case, Coulter has a lot to say about everything, including physical appearance, and this book is as good as any to get the full range of her opinions. If you feel you HAVE to read one Coulter book, read this one -- but it's much better to watch her on TV or hear her on the radio, where she can state her opinion and no one expects any substantiation.

-- Jesse Gordon, editor-in-chief, OnTheIssues.org, July 2012

OnTheIssues.org excerpts:  (click on issues for details)

Technology     Charles Schumer: Supports "Fairness Doctrine" requiring balance in talk radio.     Dianne Feinstein: Supports "Fairness Doctrine" requiring balance in talk radio.     George W. Bush: Vetoed "Fairness Doctrine" requiring balance in talk radio.     Jeff Bingaman: Supports "Fairness Doctrine" requiring balance in talk radio.     John Kerry: Supports "Fairness Doctrine" requiring balance in talk radio.     Nancy Pelosi: Supports "Fairness Doctrine" requiring balance in talk radio.     Richard Durbin: Supports "Fairness Doctrine" requiring balance in talk radio.     Ronald Reagan: Abolished "Fairness Doctrine" requiring balanced talk radio.     Rush Limbaugh: Founded radio show immediately after "Fairness Doctrine".

Click for quotations from other sources by: Charles Schumer Dianne Feinstein George W. Bush Jeff Bingaman John Kerry Nancy Pelosi Richard Durbin Ronald Reagan Rush Limbaugh