CPAC's version of 'Firing Line': Ann Coulter on the right, Mickey Kaus on the left

We’ve been fans of alicublog writer Roy Edroso for years. Is there anyone who understands the angst of conservatives better than Roy? He’s our man on the ground at CPAC — Ed.

You're kidding. You have to be f-ing kidding. You...

No they're not kidding -- Mickey Kaus was playing the liberal and Ann Coulter was playing the conservative at a "Tribute to Firing Line," which would suggest to some people a reasoned debate by intellectuals. A moderator asked how it is that the President can "pick and choose what laws he'll enforce." Coulter said what you expect she'd say, with the tone of voice and snorts of derisive laughter you've come to know and love. Her first blast of applause came when she suggested that Democrats only supported immigrants because they wanted illegal ones who would vote for them.

"I'm confident that the Supreme Court will pin back his ears," said Kaus. "That's one thing lawyers are pretty good at." Thus he became the first live liberal ever to receive applause at CPAC. He also said Obama was "untrustworthy on immigration," and that amnesty was supported by Democrats because it was "craven ethnic pandering."

Kaus did add that Reagan didn't really cut the deficit, that Paul Krugman gives good investment advice, and... advocated means testing on Medicare! Bet you didn't see that coming. Coulter said the Reagan deficits were Tip O'Neill's fault, and made a crack about the "browning of America." She did not believe these new brown Americans would pay for her social security and Medicare.

On the issue of 2016, Coulter told her first good joke: "I don't believe we will have people fainting at Joe Biden rallies." Kaus asked her why conservatives were supporting weak-tea reforms -- "only paying for health care at three times the rate of poverty instead of four," for example -- which is rather like asking Douglas MacArthur why we didn't invade China. Coulter thought it was a shame that Republicans were pushing amnesty, and asked Kaus why Democrats did. "It's hard for me to defend the Democrats on that," said Kaus.

Etc., etc. Coulter also said someone wanted to throw Texas out of the Union, and got some cheers because Texans want to be out of the Union. And also, about unwed mothers, "shaming is good." But then Coulter is always so quotable.