Liberals, conservatives duke it out on paper

One of the nation's favorite pastimes lately is to let liberals and conservatives slug it out on TV. Several of them are also writing books, which take careful and dramatic aim at each other. And the meaner the better.

At this point, however, conservatives on the air outnumber liberals. A short list of conservatives who speak out strongly includes Rush Limbaugh, Matt Drudge, Phyllis Schlafly, Sean Hannity, Thomas Sowell, Pat Buchanan, P.J. O'Roarke, Christopher Buckley and Dennis Miller.

Liberals are lead by Al Franken, Molly Ivins and Michael Moore. Jon Stewart's views can usually be identified as liberal but his primary concern is to make people laugh.

Obviously, the liberal list is anemic. That's why some liberals would like to see one of their own get a TV show, where they could mouth off at conservatives.

Comedian/satirist Al Franken is probably the best known liberal figure speaking out now, but he's serious about his political views. Recently, he spent a year studying, lecturing and writing as a Fellow with Harvard's Kennedy School of Government at the Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy. His books include "Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations" and "Why Not Me? The Inside Story of the Making and Unmaking of the Franken Presidency."

Ann Coulter is easily the most talked-about conservative TV host today, although the other conservatives named above are actively taking their jabs. Coulter is anything but a satirist. She speaks boldly with an intellectual bent, and her following is growing. Toward the end of the Clinton presidency, she wrote a scathing attack, "High Crimes and Misdemeanors: The Case Against Bill Clinton," which was so successful that she followed it with "Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right."

Coulter also stands out because of her youth and high style, qualities that other leading conservatives don't share. She pops up on numerous TV shows, including "The O'Reilly Factor," "This Week," "Good Morning America," "Today," "Larry King Live" and "Hannity and Colmes." She has a law degree from the University of Michigan and has both clerked for a judge on the Eighth Circuit and been employed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Franken is fast on his feet, whether he is uttering a one-liner or taking a political stand.

Coulter is predictably eloquent and unafraid to demonstrate a hard edge in political commentary or when sparring with a political opponent.

It was given to him on a silver platter.