Immediately after the Columbia disaster took place, The New York Times published an article titled "As Iraq War Looms, a New Sense of Vulnerability." According to the article, the deaths on the shuttle caused some Americans to think twice about the coming Iraq war.

It's not surprising that Ann Coulter found this appalling. What's surprising is that she found it so appalling she apparently forgot how to read. She cites the article in her current column, then says in the following paragraph, "For one year, I don't believe the Times has managed to interview a single person who supports war with Iraq in a nation ablaze with war fever."

But the Times managed to interview several people who support the war for the very article Coulter cited. Here's a link to the article. Here are some excerpts:

"I'm for war in Iraq if it's for the right reasons," said Sarah Gleim, a magazine editor in Marietta, Ga. "This didn't change my perspective at all. It just made me sad."

..........

Others said the accident should bring new resolve. In Racine, Wis., outside William Horlick High School, where one of the astronauts, Cmdr. Laurel Salton Clark, had gone to school, Debbi Hart said she thought the tragedy would make the country pull together. "Tragedy brings out patriotism," Ms. Hart said. "It really does make a nation of one."

...........

In Baton Rouge, La., Darren Gauthier, 31, said the United States had to go to war with Iraq. "It's got to be done," said Mr. Gauthier, a political consultant who works primarily with Republican candidates. "It's unfinished business, and this Columbia tragedy puts things in perspective about how life is precious, which should make us more encouraged to go to Iraq, remove this dictator and improve the lot of the lives of the people of that country."

He added: "These people can't have a space program. Their scientists are about making weapons of mass destruction. They can't dare to dream."

A second possibility presents itself, of course: Coulter may not have experienced temporary aphasia; Coulter may simply be a shameless baldfaced liar.