On Today, Coulter falsely asserted Clinton “has not denounced the Swift Boat veterans”; referred to “girl president”

On Today, Ann Coulter falsely claimed Sen. Hillary Clinton “has not denounced the Swift Boat veterans as dishonorable and dishonest.” But during the 2004 presidential race, Clinton said the ads were “not only unfair, they're flat out wrong.” Coulter also said, “I think Hillary wouldn't want to be the girl president who snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in Iraq, and we are winning now.”

On the February 8 edition of NBC's Today, during an interview with co-host Matt Lauer, right-wing pundit Ann Coulter falsely claimed that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) “has not denounced the Swift Boat veterans as dishonorable and dishonest.” In fact, on the August 29, 2004, edition of ABC's This Week, Clinton said of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth attacks on Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), then the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee: "[T]hey're not only unfair, they're flat out wrong." Clinton added: “And this attempt by the Republicans to smear a man of John Kerry's character and courage goes to the heart of their pathetic campaign.”

Additionally, Coulter claimed that Clinton “has not hysterically denounced waterboarding.” In fact, Clinton said she opposed Alberto Gonzales' 2005 nomination as attorney general because "[m]emos prepared under his direction that same year recommended official authorization of cruel interrogation methods including: waterboarding, feigned suffocation, and sleep deprivation." Further, Clinton opposed Michael Mukasey's 2007 nomination to succeed Gonzales as attorney general, saying that “Judge Mukasey's failure to clarify his answers and categorically oppose the unacceptable interrogation techniques employed by this Administration leaves me no choice but to oppose his nomination.”

During the interview, Coulter also referred to Clinton as a possible “girl president,” stating: “I think Hillary wouldn't want to be the girl president who snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in Iraq, and we are winning now.” Lauer ended the interview by saying: “Ann Coulter, good to have you back.” Media Matters for America has noted at least six MSNBC, NBC, or CNBC hosts who have criticized Coulter, including Lauer himself, Lauer's co-host on Today, Meredith Vieira, NBC's Tonight Show host Jay Leno, NBC's Nightly News anchor Brian Williams, MSNBC's Hardball host Chris Matthews, and CNBC host Donny Deutsch.

From the August 29, 2004, edition of This Week (from the Nexis database):

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS (host): You know, this morning, also in Time magazine, Laura Bush was asked about the Swift Boat ads that have been run against Senator Kerry, and she was asked if they were unfair. And she said not really. Do you agree with that?

CLINTON: Oh, I think that's unfortunate. Because of course they're not only unfair, they're flat out wrong. Even the president has, you know, regretted that they're being used in this way. You know, the bottom line here is John Kerry is an authentic war hero. In fact, that's a phrase that Zell Miller used about him in 2001. It's a phrase that anyone who looks at the record would have to repeat. And this attempt by the Republicans to smear a man of John Kerry's character and courage goes to the heart of their pathetic campaign.

From the February 8 edition of NBC's Today:

LAUER: Let me just read you one thing that Governor [Mitt] Romney said yesterday. He said, in talking about continuing his campaign or not, he said, if he continued, quote, “it would make it more likely that Senator Clinton or [Sen. Barack] Obama [D-IL] would win. And in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign be a part of aiding a surrender to terror.” So, if you decide to support Hillary Clinton, as opposed to [Sen.] John McCain [R-AZ], would you not be aiding in a surrender to terror, according to the man you supported?

COULTER: I think he shouldn't say that since he hopefully will be running in 2012. One way I'd vote for McCain is if he picked Mitt Romney as his vice president.

LAUER: What about Huckabee?

COULTER: But I think -- no. But I think -- which is odd, because generally people say that a vice president doesn't get you any votes, but it can lose you votes. I think that is not true here; not true at all. And as for who would be better on the war on terror, I gotta say, I think it's close here. Hillary has not hysterically denounced waterboarding. Hillary has not denounced the Swift Boat veterans as dishonorable and dishonest. Both of them voted for the war in Iraq. Both of them immediately attacked it. When John McCain started to run for president, he supported the surge. If anything, I think Hillary wouldn't want to be the girl president who snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in Iraq, and we are winning now.

LAUER: Ann Coulter, good to have you back.

COULTER: Thank you.