Ann Coulter on Obama

In our present political climate, it seems like some of the biggest mouthpeices belong to the most outrageous mouths. Americans are all too eager to swallow the craziest talking points and rhetoric in search of a feeling of validation for their political ideas. In this climate, shock jocks like Ann Coulter thrive.

Just last month, in an article titled "OBAMA IS NOT A MUSLIM," Coulter gave a passionate case against the "absurd accusation" that Obama is a Muslim and stated that he is "obviously an atheist."

Readers that are unfamiliar with Coulter might read this accusation in the first line of her blog with the expectation that she is putting on some sort of satirical front ala Steven Colbert. She's not. She's dead serious.

In fact, It turns out that Obama is in good company, according to Coulter: "All liberals are atheists. Only the ones who have to stand for election even bother pretending to believe in God. "

Her argument for Obama's disbelief in God is simple: he went to Christian church for 20 years.

Not just any church, but Crazy Rev. Jeremiah Wright's Trinity United Church. Ann Coulter's only argument to support her incredible claim is that Obama's pastor has made some racy remarks-- and Ann Coulter knows a thing or two about racy remarks. I'll give her this much: Rev. Wright has said some pretty whacky things in the wake of all of the media attention he has received these past couple of years. But Obama has taken a very aggressive stance towards Wright's comments, expressing outrage, anger, and sadness toward his former pastor. That last part somehow didn't make it into Coulter's blog.

But even if Obama agreed with the statements that Rev. Wright has made (which range from the US being involved in AIDS to the government knowing about the pearl harbor attacks before they happened), it's hard to follow Ann's logic, which is almost non sequitur. None of Wright's statements undermine a belief in God. Crazy? Sure. Hypocritical? You might argue that. But if Rev. Wright was an atheist (he is a liberal, after all) or promoting atheism, it's not in anyway apparent in his sermons.

Coulter's blog reflects a sad state of affairs for political debate in America. It seems that more an more, outrageous claims resting on paper thin logic will continue to circumvent rational discussion.