Political analyst lauds conservative agenda

With bare legs and long blond hair carelessly strewn over one shoulder, Ann Coulter looks like any other 30-something female professional. Her stance is confident, her dress simple yet sophisticated. She's the type of woman people stop to notice, to admire.\nYet appearances can be deceiving. And Coulter has proven she's much more than a pretty face.\nWhen Coulter assumes her position behind a lectern, a camera or courtroom, people stop to listen. \nTuesday night was no different, as Coulter captivated a standing-room only crowd in Woodburn Hall Room 101. Her speech, subsidized by the IU College Republicans, focused on the divided nature of the current United States Supreme Court. Upon her entrance, people in the packed lecture hall stopped conversations, allowing Coulter's rich, throaty voice to fill the air. \nA Washington, D.C.-based political analyst and attorney, Coulter has been called "the Abbie Hoffman of the Right" because of her clever, sharp attacks on liberal ideology. Her recent book, "High Crimes and Misdemeanors: The Case Against Bill Clinton," spent eight weeks atop The New York Times bestseller list in 1998. Dubbed "engaging and straightforward prose" by the Times, Coulter's analysis of Clinton's scandal-ridden administration proved a useful tool for conservative journalists calling for his resignation.\nAfter the completion of her studies at Cornell University and the University of Michigan Law School, Coulter worked as an attorney at the Center for Individual Rights, a conservative, public-interest law firm. She has served as legal counsel to Sen. Spencer Abraham, R-Mich., on the Senate Judiciary Committee and as an attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice.\nIn choosing justice appointees, Coulter said President George W. Bush has found himself in a precarious position. Regardless of party labels, either liberals or conservatives will doubtlessly "get the upper hand," she said. \nThe most controversial issues presented before the Court recently have resulted in 5-4 decisions, pitting justices against one another according to political ideology.\n"It's Dunkirk, not D-Day, for conservatives," Coulter said.\nFor liberals, according to Coulter, the Constitution evolves "in ways they like." Policy disputes are not, for Democrats, determined by the laws set forth in the Constitution\nIn contrast, Coulter defined conservatives as "strict constructionists." Their main concern, she said, lies in interpreting the Constitution, not adhering to whims of "left-wing rainbow groups." \nCoulter cited the Civil War amendments of the Constitution as one such example. The amendments and accompanying statutes, she said, clearly prohibit government discrimination on the basis of race. Liberals, she claimed, twist the phrase to allow discrimination "against disfavored races" in contrast to conservatives, who take that statement at face value. \nOne more "bad appointment" to the bench, Coulter said, would result in "preposterous racial discrimination according to principles of criminal law."\nCoulter also addressed free speech, noting the Supreme Court pays little attention to pornographic or blasphemous material. Rather, political speech is met with suspicion and skepticism, she said. \n"Today it's easier to pander obscenity than engage in political speech," Coulter said. "With virtually no consultation and unlimited funds, you can make videos of the 'Debbie Does Dallas' variety, yet current campaign finance laws prohibit you from exercising your right to free speech if it exceeds $2000."\nUnless Bush can "sneak another Clarence Thomas or Antonin Scalia" past the United States Senate, Americans might face more sanctions on political speech, Coulter said.\nIU College Republicans treasurer Willie Sutherland, a senior, said the Bloomington community was instrumental in orchestrating the event. The IU Student Association donated $1,500 to help bring Coulter to campus. Young America's Foundation, an outreach group of the conservative movement, provided $2,000.\nCollege Republicans raised the remaining funds. Its principal benefit, a dinner with Monroe County Republicans, brought Rep. John Hostettler (R-8th) to Bloomington and raised nearly $1,000. \nSophomore Josh Claybourn lauded Coulter's "fiery, passionate" speaking style, noting her ability to "draw a good crowd."\n"She's young, and her message is relevant," said Claybourn, College Republicans secretary. \nSutherland said he agreed. \n"She really knows how to get to the point," he said. "She's able to show why liberals are wrong, and her conservative message is just resounding"