THE DAILY Goes One-On-One With Ann Coulter, James Carville

As GEORGE BUSH and JOHN KERRY make their final push for the Presidency, THE DAILY delves into the political arena this week, featuring conservative columnist and commentator ANN COULTER and Democratic strategist and commentator JAMES CARVILLE. Both spoke recently with correspondent Joe Oliver to share their personal sporting experiences and political perspectives on various electoral issues. Coulter, author of three N.Y. Times bestsellers and the recently released “How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must): The World According to Ann Coulter,” chatted about the Yankees and NHL Rangers, a skeleton from her law school days and Bush’s Olympic-themed ads. Carville, co-host of CNN’s “Crossfire” and author of six N.Y. Times bestsellers as well as a new children’s book, “Lu and the Swamp Ghost,” talked about his allegiance to LSU football, baseball’s chances of success in DC and the pitfall of candidates making appearances at sporting events.

Conservative Columnist And Commentator Ann Coulter

ANN COULTER

Question: What is your greatest athletic achievement?

Coulter: I was number four in the state of Connecticut in fencing. I was captain of the lacrosse team. I played lacrosse at Cornell. ... I’m really blanking on any particular moment and I don’t think if there had been a particular moment, I would be able to retell it with gusto because it would sound like bragging, but I was a good fencer and a good lacrosse player.

Q: What is the most memorable sporting event you have attended?

Coulter: It was Game, was it Six? I saw the game last year in the playoffs when the Yankees beat the Red Sox.

Q: Game Seven of the ALCS.

Coulter: Thank you. I was there.

Q: And how did you end up at that game?

Coulter: I’m a big Yankees fan. I usually go to a lot of playoff games, if not all of them, and the Series games, if they are in them. This is a very unfortunate time for my book to be coming out. I’m missing them all now. I was going to go to [an ALCS game at Fenway Park, but I had] a debate at Amherst College. I even looked into getting a helicopter so I could go to the game and then go to the debate.

Coulter Thinks It Would Be Fun To Switch Places With Jeter or Posada

Q: What sporting event have you not been to that you really would enjoy attending?

Coulter: I’d like to see the Rangers win a few more championships. It’s been a while since we’ve seen that. I like hockey and baseball. I’m not a huge football fan. I’ll go and I like the game when I’m there. I would never watch football on TV.

Q: If you could switch places with any athlete, would you?

Coulter: It’s not something I’d ever think about because it is obviously such a realm of a fantasy and this isn’t a fantasy I’ve ever played before. But yeah, I think it would be a lot of fun to be DEREK JETER. JORGE POSADA. Think how proud his father is.

Q: Did you catch any games at The Big House while you were at Michigan Law?

Coulter: I refuse to answer that question (laughing). That’s a personal question. No, it is very embarrassing. I didn’t. I’m so embarrassed and I never wanted to admit it. ... Three years had gone by and I was embarrassed to realize I hadn’t been to a Michigan football game.

Coulter Finds Political Support From The Athletic Arena, Like King's, Rare

Q: Why has so much been made of DON KING stumping for George Bush?

Coulter: [Athletes] tend not to be political because they don’t have to prove anything the way the sissy boy actors do. ... It is always interesting when you have someone in the sports world coming out for any political candidate.

Q: Will NASCAR dads ultimately factor in next month’s election?

Coulter: NASCAR dads are voting for George Bush. They are voting Republican.

Q: Do appearances at sporting events move the needle for candidates?

Coulter: I don’t know about it in general, but when George Bush throws a perfect pitch and John Kerry has a little girlie toss (laughing), I think that did not help Kerry. [Editor’s note: Coulter was referring to Game Three of the ‘01 World Series and a July 26 Yankees-Red Sox game, respectively.]

Q: Who is the better athlete: Bush or Kerry?

Coulter: Clearly Bush.

Q: Other than the “little girlie toss,” what are your reasons for thinking that?

Coulter: Because Kerry would need approval from the UN Security Council before going on offense.

Q: Did you see the Bush ads that featured Olympic imagery?

Coulter: Yes.

Q: What are your thoughts on him continuing to run the ads against USOC wishes?

Coulter: For one thing, I thought the ads were magnificent. It is true. You have these women from Afghanistan, women from Iraq, competing. I mean under UDAY and QUSAY, is that what the Olympic Committee prefers: soccer players being shot, beaten and tortured at the pleasure of the dictator? I particularly liked that George Bush ignored the Olympic Committee’s snipping.

Democratic Strategist And Commentator James Carville

JAMES CARVILLE

Q: What is your greatest athletic achievement?

Carville: I made All-District at a good level of Louisiana high school football. No, my greatest was a 51 quarter.

Q: Fifty-one seconds for a quarter-mile? That’s quick by anyone’s standards.

Carville: Right, well, it might have been a 51.9 (laughing).

Q: What sporting event would you most like to attend?

Carville: The seventh game of a Red Sox-Cubs World Series.

Q: Are you a fan?

Carville: I take pleasure in the troubles of both of them. No, I like them both fine. It’s just a great story, you know what I mean? I couldn’t imagine anything having more emotion than that.

Q: Name the one athlete you would pay to see play every night.

Carville: SANDY KOUFAX. When he was in his prime, you know, just because he was so dominant.

Q: If you could switch places with any athlete, would you?

Carville Would Not Mind Trading Political Pressure For Some Of Rocket's Heat

Carville: Switch places with one athlete, would I? No, I’m okay doing what I do. Being a big time athlete, if you think about it, it’s a lot of pressure.

Q: Managing campaigns isn’t a lot of pressure?

Carville: Yeah, but you know, I just feel more comfortable doing it. I guess if I had the athlete’s skill, if I could be anything, I think I probably would like to be a big league pitcher. ... ROGER CLEMENS. I guess I’d love to have Roger Clemens’ career.

Q: You bleed LSU purple and gold. How bittersweet was sharing last year’s national title with USC?

Carville: You know what? It just felt so good. I was so happy. It was fine. I mean look, do I wish Michigan would have beat USC? Yeah. Am I still mad at Michigan for that game? Sure, but that’s life. I mean, SoCal is a good team.

Q: Which did you watch more closely in September: Presidential polls or the AP and Coaches poll?

Carville: I watch what LSU does, okay. And once we lost to Auburn, I didn’t give a crap about the AP poll or the Coaches poll or any other poll. It doesn’t matter to me an iota if Southern Cal or Oklahoma or Miami wins the national championship. As long as my guys are not in it, I am pulling for everyone else to lose. ... It colors my entire world. I don’t have any sort of objectivity beyond LSU and SEC football.

Q: You’re an Orioles season-ticket holder. Will the Expos succeed in DC?

Carville: I’m glad that they’re coming. I am a huge fan of Major League Baseball. I’ll probably bite the bullet for the meantime and keep my Orioles tickets, and get some to whatever they’re going to be, the Senators or the Greys. But just knowing Washington, they’re going to have a hell of a time getting that stadium built. I’ll be curious to see how it all works out for them.

Q: Will NASCAR dads ultimately be a factor in next month’s election?

Carville: Culturally, NASCAR country is overwhelmingly Republican right now. There is no doubt about that. [But] it’s just a short-hand term that we use, you know what I mean: NASCAR dads or soccer moms? NASCAR dads have just sort of become white, non-college married men.

Q: Is there a sport, sports team or sports brand you associate with the right?

Carville: No, I don’t think so. I don’t really care. You know what I mean? I don’t really pull. DEAN SMITH was a Democrat and KRZYZEWSKI is a Republican, but I never really paid attention, I didn’t pull for Carolina over Duke. TED WILLIAMS was a Republican and I like to watch old films of Ted Williams. I love CHARLES BARKLEY. He’s been on the show.

Q: Do appearances at sporting events move the needle at all for candidates?

In Carville's Eyes Kerry's Ability To Skate Makes Him The Better Athlete

Carville: I don’t think so. If you go to a game, what does it take? There are 50,000 people at the game and 40,000 cheer you and 10,000 boo you, they’re going to write you got booed. ... I think politicians would be a lot better off if they just stayed away.

Q: Who is the better athlete: Bush or Kerry?

Carville: Probably Kerry. I don’t know anything about hockey, but people that do say the guy is really good, he can really skate.

Q: What do you think about Bush using Olympic imagery in ads against USOC wishes?

Carville: If they had to do it all over again, they wouldn’t have done it. The controversy wasn’t worth whatever little good it gets you. It’s one of those things, it doesn’t get you that much and who needs the grief.