Of course you recall how proud Ann Coulter was of the fact that her most recent bound collection of hysterical lunacy was number one on the New York Times Best-Seller List. We were reminded of her incessant harping on that fact by a BBC clip to which one of PZ's readers links.

In Coulter's appearance earlier in the summer on Newsnight, host Jeremy Paxman (in something somewhat less than his usual appropriately aggressive style) gave Coulter repeated chances to back away slowly from her insanity and admit that she doesn't really believe half of the delusional shit that sprays out of her piehole. Coulter, of course, vehemently declined each offer, preferring to stick to crazy like, well, Krazy Glue. Then, asked by Paxman if she thought that people might look at her frothingly psychotic assertions and find them so absurd and extreme that they would pay no mind to a more reasoned (read: at all reasoned) critique of the liberal establishment, the batshit insane cunt said:

The more reasoned critiques, as you put it, aren't the number one books in America, and mine is, so I think I'm doing just fine.

Coming as a giant shock to our regular readers, we're sure, we've never put any stock in fluffy popularity contests like the New York Times Best-Seller List. Such lists don't measure the quality, validity or veracity of your work; they merely report the often baffling and always unaccountable preferences of a population made up predominantly of idiots, most of whom couldn't think their way through an intersection with a four-way stop (literally), let alone intelligently discuss complex socio-political, scientific or theological issues. In fact, we couldn't have come up with a better illustration of this very point than the one we saw when we checked out the current New York Times Best-Seller Lists. The top five "Hardcover Advice" books at this moment are:

1. INSIDE MY HEART, by Robin McGraw
2. THE CONFIDENT WOMAN, by Joyce Meyer
3. GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS 2007.
4. EXPLORING THE LEVELS OF CREATION, by Sylvia Browne
5. CESAR'S WAY, by Cesar Millan with Melissa Jo Peltier

Other than the fact that we aren't sure what advice one gets from the Guinness World Records book (does it tell you how to survive the longest fall in an elevator?), the thing that jumps out and slaps us in the face with an Italian salami is number four. That's right, folks: Sylvia Browne. The very same Sylvia Browne who pretends to be a psychic so poorly that she outs herself as a fake on a semi-regular basis. But apparently, a plethora of people are both stupid and credulous enough not only to believe in psychics, but to believe in a shitty, half-assed bullshit artist like Sylvia Browne. And not only do they buy her pathetic line of shit, they stand in line to buy her shitty, pathetic book. So much for that batshit insane cunt Ann Coulter's argument that sitting atop the New York Times Best-Seller List actually means something worthwhile, huh? But honestly, we can't think of better company "at the top" for Ann Coulter than that crazy-eyed hag, Sylvia Browne — the two of them should be made to share an apartment for a year on a reality television show for our amusement. (Not that reality television amuses us much, but even we might watch an episode or two of that one.)

And to any who wonder why we insist on simply calling Coulter a batshit insane cunt rather than engaging her arguments: the day she makes an actual valid and substantive argument is the day we'll respond to it. Also, we've scheduled that day for ass gnomes to fly out of our butts.

I'd join you in your googlebombing if I wasn't on AOL. One day I'll come to my senses.

The thing about the New York Times best seller list is, hardly anyone reads books anymore. I find it much more informative to examine a truly mass medium, say movies, to take the intellectual pulse of the country. So let's see what's tops today...

Oh, shit, it's Jackass 2.

The real shocker here is realising Robin McGraw thinks she can write as well and people are lapping it up... gah.

So many morons in the world, and so few bullets. Sigh...

You know, I took a closer look at the top five list we referred to, and three of them drive our point home pretty well.

As Foxy noted, the number one spot is held by Dr. Phil's wife. While Dr. Phil's credentials for dispensing advice are dubious at best, at least his wife's credentials are clear — she's married to Dr. Phil. The number one advice book in the country is, therefore, a book written by the wife of an unqualified hack.

Coming in at number two was someone I didn't recognize until I visited her website. It turns out that Joyce Meyer is the very same crazy evangelical loon that I sometimes wake up to when I've fallen asleep with the Discovery Channel on (she's part of the off-hours paid programming, it seems, along with Billy Mays for Orange Glo). 'Nuff said about her.

So between these two loons and Sylvia Browne, we can see just how, er, "impressive" it is to be on the New York Times Best-Seller List. Truly, we are humbled by Ann Coulter's accomplishments.

The reality TV concept just got a little more interesting, though. The wife of a "for entertainment only" television shrink, a fake psychic, a TV evangelist, and a batshit insane cunt all share a house with Bill Mays for Orange Glo!

"Oh, shit, it's Jackass 2."

But I liked jackass 2... :(

I remember seein the Penn and Teller show and looking at the bragging about the enormity of bible sales. THen pointing out it puts it with Mao's works and the Valley of the Dolls. All a matter of perspective. And I think it is worth mentioning, in that case, I notice that churches and different orgs seem to always have boxes of the good book in their back rooms. But the Scientologist like to mass buy Hubbards book. ;)

This may not fit exactly with this topic (then again, it may, I haven't really read it yet), but I saw this and had to post it somewhere! So, I did a search for "Ann Coulter" and this was the most recent thread about her. Some of you have probably already head about this (in fact there may be a response to it already in the works), but in case anyone hasn't heard about it yet, check this out:

Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference before an overflow crowd on Friday, Ms. Coulter said, "I was going to have a few comments on the other Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, but it turns out you have to go into rehab if you use the word 'faggot,' so I -- so kind of an impasse, can't really talk about Edwards."

(I wish I knew how to make it appear in the little quote box.)

[We added the blockquote tag for you, TimmyAnn — Ed.]

Oh, cool. Thanks.