Coulter: "I do think anyone named B. Hussein Obama should avoid using 'hijack' and 'religion' in the same sentence"

On the June 25 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes, discussing Sen. Barack Obama's (D-IL) June 23 speech at a church in Hartford, Connecticut, co-host Alan Colmes asked right-wing pundit Ann Coulter if "[o]nly Republicans can talk in churches." Coulter responded: "No, but I do think anyone named B. Hussein Obama should avoid using 'hijack' and 'religion' in the same sentence." Colmes replied: "I see. So, in other words, you want to paint him as a terrorist by continuing to highlight that his middle name is Hussein?" Coulter stated: "Just avoid those two together. ... Avoid 'hijack and 'religion.' "

Coulter was apparently referring to Obama's comment in his June 23 speech about the use of religion as a divisive tactic: "But somehow, somewhere along the way, faith stopped being used to bring us together and started being used to drive us apart. It got hijacked."

Coulter is scheduled to appear on MSNBC's Hardball on June 26. As Media Matters for America documented, during her last Hardball appearance on July 27, 2006, Coulter called former Vice President Al Gore a "total fag."

From the June 25 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes:

COLMES: Joining us now is author of Godless, Ann Coulter, and Fox News political analyst and writer at Gather.com, Laura Schwartz. Welcome to you both.

Now, Ann, when you write a book called Godless, about which you're talking -- you're talking about liberals, isn't that divisive?

COULTER: Right. Unlike a guy running for president making that little speech in a church in order to advance his nomination to be the Democrat [sic] presidential nominee.

COLMES: Oh, it's only -- only Republicans can talk in churches, right?

COULTER: No, but I do think anyone named B. Hussein Obama should avoid using "hijack" and "religion" in the same sentence.

COLMES: I see. So, in other words, you want to paint him as a terrorist by continuing to use -- to highlight that his middle name is Hussein?

COULTER: Just avoid those two together.

COLMES: So, in other words, he -- only you can talk like that. Only conservatives. Someone whose middle name is Hussein should not talk like that.

COULTER: Avoid "hijack" and "religion."

COLMES: I see.

—A.I.