winterbadger | no! no!

from The Independent

[Anne Coulter] is thought to be the inspiration for Ainsley Hayes, an extremely right-wing Republican lawyer in The West Wing.

Absolutely not! Anne Coulter is a vicisous, evil bitch whose horrid brand of invective should earn her nothing but scorn and disdain. The character of Ainsley Hayes was smart, fast-talking (even for a West Wing character), and a dedicated Republican, but she had tremendous integrity and sensitivity. She acted on her principles and supported her arguments with facts and well-thought-out opinion. Her character and that of Clifford Calley were models for the way intelligent, capable Americans can disagree on vital issues without descending to the kind of bile-spewing that seems to be popular in many sectors of both the conservative and liberal political worlds, much to my dismay.

Edit: "How do you begin to argue with someone who operates so far outside the generally accepted confines of political debate? " My question would be, "Why bother?"