As a regular viewer, I believe Ann Coulter's February 18, 2005 interview on C-Span's "Washington Journal" served no useful purpose in furthering the public discourse. Furthermore, Mr. Lamb failed in his journalistic responsibility to engage in serious contrarian questioning of Coulter's fanatical views. Instead he allowed her to spend much of the hour shamelessly plugging her books and speaking appearances. It should not be the policy of "Washington Journal" to act as a megaphone for out of the mainstream polemicists.

The show would have at least served some small purpose to your audience had Lamb taken a more journalistic approach in his line of questioning. Lamb undoubtedly feels that callers are in a better position to ask contrarian questions. The fact remains, however, that Coulter is well experienced in the art of short-form debate. Relying on an average American to act as opposition is a little like putting a mail carrier up against NBA superstar Karl Malone in a game of one-on-one. It is supremely unreasonable to expect callers to take the lead in examining Coulter's dedication to responsible journalism. With the smallest dedication to research, "Washington Journal" might have made her appearance worth watching.