D Politicians, Pundits, and Stars 219
locks back over her feminine ears as a reminder that she is the
pretty girl among the troglodytes of the hard right. She often laughs
at her own punch lines. Between that and playing with her hair, she
comes across as artificially girlish. This is response to a culture
where she is a unique creature.
Part of the problem in trying to catch Ann Coulter’s body lan-
guage when she is not in control is that so many of her interviews
occur with men who adore her. Smiling at her through her own
self-amused ha-ha-ha. She’s the golden-haired beauty of conser-
vative men, the sex symbol of the hard right, and they generally
don’t ask her tough questions that might make her nervous. When
they do, she does what she says she hates: ignores the question or
changes the subject. She then punctuates her dismissal with a hand
wave and a little more laughter. If this is her body language among
friends, does she use it in the enemy camp as well when attacking
or being attacked?
That’s why no analysis of Ann Coulter’s body language would
be complete without looking at her appearance on Hannity &
Colmes. Alan Colmes may not be the toughest player on television,
but he does stand proudly as the liberal counterpart to Sean Hannity.
On one show, she finds a quote that Colmes uses so offensive that
she bursts out an accusation that he’s lying.
Not surprisingly, he takes it as an insult and counters her. She
talks over him while her flailing arms, raised voice, and random
words show she is out of control. She quickly employs all of the
“I’m just a girl” moves in her repertoire, none of which work. Alan
is bolstered by a fellow liberal and goes after her. A sharp shift in