Follow Up: In a post a couple of weeks ago, I compared the fire-breathing Ann Coulter to the leftist demagogues (for whom conservatives are always heartless, socially darwinistic fascists, whatever that means) and also to David Horowitz, the leftist-turned-conservative writer who has relished using the left's rhetorical tricks against his former comrades. Now Horowitz has taken a step away from Coulter, over the very issue I mentioned: her defense of McCarthy:

The problem with Coulter’s book is that she is not willing to concede that McCarthy was, in fact, demagogic in any sense at all, or that that his recklessness injured the anti-Communist cause. Ron Radosh, Harvey Klehr and John Haynes have distinguished themselves as historians by documenting the Communist menace that many liberals discounted. But they have also documented the irresponsible antics of McCarthy, which undermined the anti-Communist cause. Coulter dismisses such conservative criticisms of McCarthy as caving in to the liberals. She is wrong.

Good for you, David. But don't be fooled that she really believes any of this stuff. She's seeing dollar signs.