I hate to say it, but Ann Coulter is on to something.

Let me just say right up front that I think the American political right needs far fewer Ann Coulters and more people of a diplomatic bent. But in a world where the mainstream media "covers" a topic by having Al Franken argue with Jesse Helms, perhaps we should look for the best in what we have.

Coulter's 1 December 2005 column caught my eye yesterday, and not because of her use of "encomium," one of my favorite words. She rips into the practice, undertaken these days largely by members of the right, of praising one's opponent while disagreeing with him/her.

During the House debate on Murtha's insane proposal to withdraw troops in the middle of the war, Rep. Henry Hyde, R-IL, said Murtha deserved an "A-plus as a truly great American," and Rep. Curt Weldon, R-PA, said "none of us should think of questioning his motives or desires for American troops."

On the House floor, both Republicans and Democrats repeatedly gave Murtha rousing standing ovations. There was so much praise for Murtha that one of his Democratic colleagues asked him if he still had to attend Murtha's funeral.

What is this? Special Olympics for the Democrats? Can't Republicans disagree with a Democrat who demands that the U.S. surrender in the middle of a war without erecting monuments to him first? What would happen if a Democrat were to propose restoring Saddam Hussein to power? Is that Medal of Freedom territory?

This has been nagging me for some time. Since 9/11, the media seems to jump all over someone who questions another's patriotism, commitment to the troops, or any other mark of good character. As a result, these introductory praises ("He's a great guy, took a piece of shrapnel from the commies at Inchon, but....") have become extremely formulaic, with any deviation punished to the highest degree.

Take the case of Rep. Jean Schmidt, who in the debate over the Murtha proposal made the very grave mistake of indirectly calling Murtha a coward. The backlash over this, in the media and by the left, has gotten out of control. I received a couple of emails over the past few days from those swell guys over at the DNC, and it seems they're collecting donations aimed at putting a billboard right outside Schmidt's office saying "Hold Jean Schmidt Accountable." While I have no problem with this, Howard Dean framed the argument in this way:

Jean Schmidt is only the latest Republican leader to cross this line of civility and respect for our veterans -- it's time to say enough is enough. Republican leaders use these tactics to distract people from the simple fact that they have lost credibility on national security and foreign policy.

Only the latest? Cheney seemed to spend more time calling Murtha "a good man, a Marine, a patriot" than actually challenging his idea. We have built up the idea that these masks mean something to the policy debate, built it up so much that it's easy to see how hollow an approach it is.

Tags: Ann Coulter, Murtha, Patriotism, Schmidt, Dean