Annie And The Witches Of East Brunswick...

June 7, 2006 -- WASHINGTON - "Conservative rabble-rouser Ann Coulter created an uproar among 9/11 victims' families yesterday after she charged in her new book that a group of "self-obsessed" politically active widows are enjoying their husbands' deaths.

The razor-tongued blond polemicist made unflattering remarks about the high-profile widows who liked to call themselves the "Jersey girls." In Coulter's latest book, "Godless," she calls them "harpies" and the "Witches of East Brunswick."

"I have never seen people enjoying their husbands' deaths so much," Coulter wrote.

It was the most stinging attack on 9/11 victims' families since al Qaeda conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui took the witness stand.

A group of New Jersey 9/11 widows - Kleinberg, Kristin Breitweiser, Patty Casazza and Lorie Van Auken - created headlines by pushing for a wide examination of intelligence and security failures that eventually led to the creation of the 9/11 commission.

In 2004, they endorsed Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, fiercely denounced President Bush and participated in political ads using images from the attacks - actions that prompted Coulter's attack.

"These self-obsessed women seemed genuinely unaware that 9/11 was an attack on our nation and acted as if the terrorist attacks happened only to them. The whole nation was wounded, all our lives reduced. But they believed the entire country was required to marinate in their exquisite personal agony," Coulter said.

"These broads are millionaires, lionized on TV and in articles about them, reveling in their status as celebrities and stalked by grief-arazzis."

Coulter accused the four widows of "trying to convert their personal tragedy into a weapon to dictate national policy."

And then she got personal.

"And by the way, how do we know their husbands weren't planning to divorce these harpies? Now that their shelf life is dwindling, they'd better hurry up and appear in Playboy," Coulter said.

Coulter, 45, a well-known columnist and author, has been a conservative lightning rod for years. Her appearances on college campuses frequently have been met with angry protests.

She could not be reached for comment last night.

But yesterday, in a testy exchange with host Matt Lauer on NBC's "Today" show, Coulter was unapologetic about her insults on the 9/11 widows.

"They were cutting commercials for Kerry and using their grief to make a political point," Coulter said.

"It's a dramatic statement: 'These broads are millionaires'?" Lauer asked, citing the book.

"Yeah," she replied.

" 'I have never seen people enjoying their husbands' deaths so much'?" Lauer pressed.

"Yes. They are all over the news," Coulter said.

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Annie is a public relations dilemma all unto herself. Smart and attractive, she is however not overly laden with the gusto necessary to be televised. A halting speaker, who I've long thought to have hearing difficulties for she forever appears to be processing information, her calculated snide asides fall flat when the beat is lost, the punchline berift it's sting as she rolls her eyes and seems to be contemplating somewhere far, far away. You know the syndrome; the newsperson listening to a shouting director from an earpiece while trying to interview a particularly recalcitrant subject.

We don't really have the distaff doppleganger to William F. Buckley, and that is of some interest because the Left is laden with glib harpies of horror who present THEIR side with aplomb, so what gives?

"It's a dramatic statement: 'These broads are millionaires'?" Lauer asked, citing the book.

"Yeah," she replied.

Yeah? Stage fright, ya think?