There's what passes for legitimate political rhetoric these days and then there's Ann Coulter.

A conservative to the Nth degree, Coulter must have a following of admirers, given all the books she sells. But I have to believe even many of her friends on the far right squirm when she goes over the top -- as she did yet again this week in a broadside against Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards and his wife.

Edwards has been a frequent target of Coulter's acerbic tongue, wishing him dead in a terrorist attack, calling him a "faggot" and bringing up the memory of the couple's late son.

Can't she disagree with Edwards' politics and campaign aggressively for her favorite candidate without that crap? Does she believe her ideology can't be advanced without stooping so low?

Coulter claims comedian Bill Maher lowered the bar with similarly offensive remarks about Vice President Cheney. Is that supposed to excuse either of them?

At a time in our history when serious political discourse has never been more important, this is what turns people off. And that makes our country the loser.