COULTER: THE PHONY BAN AND THE OH-SO-CONVENIENT CANCELLATION

OK, here's an easy one, from Tim Graham at NewsBusters:

Is Ann Coulter 'Banned for Life' from NBC?

The Drudge Report is blaring that conservative author, columnist, and poison-pen pundit Ann Coulter has been "banned for life" from appearing on NBC News shows, according to an anonymous "top" insider. "We are just not going to have her on any more." ...

So, is she banned for life?

That's easy: Of course she isn't.

Give me a freaking break. She was booked on the Today show to flog her new book. If NBC had a "lifetime ban" in place, do you think the show's bookers would have just forgotten? Has Tim Graham ever even worked at a large profit-making corporation? Do you think underlings just ignore edicts from the top like that, or just fail to take note of them? Please.

Ah, but she was booked on NBC and now -- seemingly in response to criticism of NBC by Media Matters -- she's not going to appear, per Politico. So, Steve, what about that? Hunh? Hunh?

Ann Coulter was scheduled to appear on the "Today" show Tuesday morning to promote her new book, "Guilty." But it's now been canceled, according to her website.

Coulter wrote: "TODAY SHOW AND TODAY SHOW FOURTH HOUR: CANCELLED!"

"I guess this ends the 'they just want to get ratings' argument about liberal media bias," Coulter wrote underneath....

UPDATE: An NBC spokesperson tells Politico that Coulter was bumped for news coverage out of Washington and the Middle East, and would be welcomed back in the future. Perez Hilton will still be on the show.

I don't know, but all I can say is: how convenient.

Coulter's last book was a flop. She missed the Christmas selling season with this one. She needed to have something attention-grabbing happen in connection with this book ... and, well, what do you know -- the Big Bad Liberal Media silences her (or at least forces her to go on CBS instead). What a great way to rally the rubes: get denied airtime by the hated MSM!

Do I know for sure that this is a deliberate publicity stunt and NBC's in on it? No, I'm not saying that. All I'm saying is that it sure is working out awfully well for Coulter.