Ann Coulter on the Battle Over the Roberts' Nomination

This is a partial transcript from "Hannity & Colmes," August 10, 2005, that has been edited for clarity.

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SEAN HANNITY, CO-HOST: And this is a FOX News alert.

All week long we've been telling you about this controversial television ad that NARAL has been running criticizing Judge John Roberts by suggesting that he supports the bombing of abortion clinics. Just a few minutes ago we learned that NARAL has, in fact, pulled this ad, saying that the ad has become a distraction.

A NARAL spokesperson has told FOX News that they are switching the ad and will be running a new one that focuses in on Roberts' record and his opposition to Roe v. Wade.

Joining us now with reaction and to share her own views about Judge John Roberts, the author of the number one New York Times best seller, "How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must)," Ann Coulter.

Ann, welcome back. Good to see you.

ANN COULTER, AUTHOR, "HOW TO TALK TO A LIBERAL (IF YOU MUST): Good to see you.

HANNITY: First of all, that ad is about as despicable as they treated Judge Robert Bork, but it doesn't surprise me coming from NARAL, nor should it surprise you.

COULTER: No, no, I'm sorry they're pulling it. I was enjoying having it out there, festering, and Democrats having to run away from it and denounce it, except Senator Barbara Boxer, whom I know was just endorsing it, I think, yesterday in San Francisco.

HANNITY: Now, you are not supportive of the Roberts nomination in this way. You were disappointed that George Bush didn't appoint a more well-known conservative, an Edith Jones, a Luttig, et cetera.

COULTER: Right. I haven't named any of them. I don't want to damn them by my praise.

But this ad and the reaction to it, it seems to me, is proof of what I've been saying, that we couldn't get another Judge Bork on right now. The world has changed. What Teddy Kennedy said about Judge Bork the day after he was nominated is worse than this ad. It's far worse than this ad. It was never retracted, and there was never a rebellion against it.

How long has this ad been on air before Democratic senators have to start running away from it? The world has changed. It's a completely different world.

HANNITY: Yes.

COULTER: And apparently because of some sort of psychological scarring, Democrats still seem to think they're the majority party, and Republicans seem to think we're the minority party. This ad shows that this isn't the world we're in any more.

HANNITY: You acknowledge that Roberts may turn out to be fine. You don't like stealth candidates. Your point is stealth candidates in the past are people that don't have a long written history, a track record, in other words, that you can glean a lot of their judicial philosophy from.

But you said this before this issue of his support in the Romer case or the counsel that he gave in the Romer case. Does that give you more concern?

COULTER: Yes. I mean, it's a very strange phenomenon going on right now. As my friend Mickey Kaus said, we could find out that Judge Roberts is a member of the North American Man Boy Love Association, and conservatives would all say, "This is just liberals trying to split up the right." And liberals would all say, "This is a ruse. He's not really — we can't trust him."

I mean, what do you need? I mean, I think it's pretty clear he's not a Thomas or Scalia. I suppose we could hope for a Kennedy, but we could be left with a Souter. And I just don't know why we're rolling dice at this point.

When the world has changed in such a way that NARAL runs an ad that is not as bad as what Teddy Kennedy said about Judge Bork and they have — Democratic senators are running like rats from a ship from this ad to the point that NARAL has to withdraw the ad. Why didn't we get another Scalia or Thomas?

HANNITY: Look, I have been with you in this much. There are things I read. I like some of his answers about judicial philosophy that he gave the judiciary committee. I read some of his work in the Reagan administration and I've liked some of that.

I'm going to tell you something. I read this issue on Romer in the L.A. Times, and that gave me grave concern. And I've been very vocal about that, too.

And then I have people calling me from all sides, "No, no, he's fine, he' fine."

But you know what? We've been burned in the past. I don't want to get burned. But I do trust George Bush inasmuch as he has given us strong conservatives. Do you give him any credit for that?

COULTER: No, I don't because I think he's been very bad in waging — in political tactics. I mean, he keeps getting credit for this, you know, the genius Karl Rove.

I think George Bush has been a great president on many important issues. And that's why he was re-elected. It wasn't because of a brilliant tactician. We're in the middle of a war. The idea that that last election was as close as it was, I think, is appalling and I think it's not unrelated to the fact a week before the election George Bush is coming out for gay civil unions. This is an issue 80 percent of Americans are against.

ALAN COLMES, CO-HOST: You may have to vote Democratic next time, Ann. You're going to vote with me. I think you're going Democratic. I think that's what's happening here. You're going to be with me next time.

Look, you know, you keep mentioning Bork. You know, Specter was against Bork, Senator Warner was against Bork. They said some pretty negative things about him. It wasn't these evil left wing liberals who did it. But it's interesting that now not only does Judge Roberts have the issue of doing pro bono work for gays. It comes out today he did some work for Playboy magazine. Is that going to cause even more trouble among conservatives?

COULTER: I think Judge Roberts could have been an abortionist in the past and conservative groups would say, "I trust George Bush, I trust George Bush."

And by the way, if I could just mention, I don't think anything Judge Roberts says from now until he presumably gets on the court has any meaning at all, including his answers to the Senate judiciary's questions. Yes, they look OK. But you know, what's he going to say? "No, I think judges should legislate from the bench"?

I think his answers were sort of general fluff that we would have gotten from anyone, which is why I wish Bush had nominated a Scalia or a Thomas to begin with that I could really get behind.

COLMES: There's, by the way, there's one conservative group, an anti- gay activist named Eugene Delgaudio of the Public Advocate of the United States crew who has come out squarely against Roberts, a conservative group that says he assisted the forces that would criminalize Christianity. Do you agree with that statement from a conservative group who's also against Judge Roberts?

COULTER: No, I'll make my own statements. And if I could just say, I'm not anti-gay. I'm pro not hallucinating when you read the Constitution.

And the case that he worked on, that Romer case, it's not just gay rights. I mean, I think it needs to be stated, that was a law that would prohibit affirmative action for gays, special rights for gays. It was a crazy, crazy case.

It was so crazy that after the Supreme Court issued its decision in Romer, it just ignored it henceforth. Other similar laws came to the court after that, and they just didn't even grant certiorari. They did not want to revisit the opinion. It was so insane.

COLMES: What...

COULTER: This isn't a matter of pro-gay, anti-gay.

COLMES: What that law really did — it was called Amendment 2 in Colorado — basically would have barred any law or regulation protecting gays from discrimination from landlords, public agencies, et cetera, and that means it was a civil rights issue.

COULTER: Special rights. Special rights for gays.

COLMES: Civil rights. Equal rights, I think, is what some people equal it.

COULTER: Special rights.

COLMES: Well, that would be your interpretation.

COLMES: Civil rights. Equal rights is what I think is what some people might call them.

COULTER: You already have equal rights under the law. This is special rights as gays for gays.

HANNITY: And that's also...

COULTER: And Colorado citizens said we don't want special rights for gays. Gay is not like black.

HANNITY: Romer and Lawrence combined really paved the way, most people, most observers would tell you for a decision down the line for gay marriage, right?

COULTER: And it's not a case that Scalia or Thomas would have worked on pro bono.

HANNITY: Well, as a matter of fact, if you believe the L.A. Times that he was in this moot court session playing Scalia and giving counsel to the other side. But that's why it raises questions.

COULTER: Scalia would not have played Scalia.

HANNITY: Thanks for being with us, Ann Coulter. We appreciate it.

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