Ted Rall Publishes Mock-Obit of Columnist Ann Coulter

By: E&P Staff Conservative columnist/author Ann Coulter has joked a number of times about the deaths of certain alleged liberals, such as New York Times reporters. Now, liberal cartoonist/columnist Ted Rall has joked about Coulter's death.

In a blog entry, Rall noted that "an unnamed humor magazine" had assigned him to write a fictional Coulter obituary "in the deadpan style of The New York Times." The magazine killed the piece, so Rall posted it today on his blog.

"Coulter died from injuries sustained on September 11, 2006, when the historic replica of a dirigible in which she was riding exploded over the Hudson River near Ground Zero in lower Manhattan," wrote Rall. "Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board believe that Coulter initiated the accident when she fired a pistol as she stormed the airship's flight deck in the mistaken belief that its bearded pilot was an Islamic hijacker."

Rall continued: "President Bush awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award, for her 'valorous Valkyrie-like vigilance.'" He added, referring to Coulter: "Although privately shy, she struggled against the demons of introversion in thousands of television and lectures before packed, rapt audiences of admirers. 'I'm dreadfully afraid of the limelight,' she once confessed during an interview with Larry King, 'but if not me, who? I have a duty.'"

The lengthy mock-obit runs more than 15 paragraphs.

Rall and Coulter share a certain history, despite being on different ends of the political spectrum. Both are syndicated by Universal Press, and both have done controversial commentary about some of the 9/11 widows. Also, Rall threatened to sue Coulter earlier this year when she "joked" that Rall entered Iran's Holocaust cartoon contest (he didn't).