Ann Coulter: Marketing Genius?

Oct. 17, 2007 — -- She has referred to Sept. 11 widows as "self-obsessed women" who are "enjoying their husbands' deaths," and has even admitted that she wished Timothy McVeigh had bombed The New York Times building instead of the one in Oklahoma City.

Late last week, conservative pundit Ann Coulter landed herself in national headlines, yet again, after an appearance on CNBC's "The Big Idea," where she said she thought the world would be better if everyone were Christian.

When host Donny Deutsch asked her whether that meant she wanted to see Judaism disappear, Coulter — who was on the show to promote her sixth book, "If Democrats Had Any Brains, They'd Be Republicans" — replied, "We just want Jews to be perfected."

Since then, critics have swung into full force. The Anti-Defamation League and the National Jewish Democratic Council have issued statements in response to Coulter's remarks, the latter requesting the media stop inviting her to be a guest on programming altogether.

"No one has been reluctant to book [Coulter], and we've had as many requests as ever — probably more," Coulter's publicist, Diana Banister, told ABCNEWS.com, arguing against speculation that Coulter may soon be less prominent on news talk shows.

Banister also had no explanation for an open letter to readers that appeared on Coulter's Web site Tuesday, claiming that her "career as a media figurehead is over." Members of the blogosphere speculated that her site had been hacked. The letter was removed midday and replaced with Coulter's latest column, opining about the Republican presidential hopefuls.

Coulter's comments, as controversial as they often are, make great television, several media told ABCNEWS.com, but the more outlandish and offensive she gets, the more likely it is that networks will begin refusing her a spot on their programs.

In the meantime, though, Coulter may be playing her cards just right: ruffling the feathers of her critics, while her own market value and name continue to grow.

With a syndicated column published throughout the country, six books — all of which were best-sellers — and, according to Media Matters, more than 200 appearances on MSNBC, CNBC and the Fox News Channel to date, Coulter hasn't had a hard time finding a place to express her opinions.