Was Time Magazine Playing Politics with Its 2006 Person of the Year Cover?

This is a partial transcript from "Hannity & Colmes," December 18, 2006, that has been edited for clarity.

KAREN HANRETTY, GUEST CO-HOST: In its most highly anticipated issue of the year, Time magazine names "You," citizen of the digital democracy, its 2006 person of the year. You beat out the likes of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Hugo Chavez, Kim Jong-Il, who all came in as runners up.

We are joined now by the author of "Godless", Ann Coulter and former Democratic pollster, Pat Caddell.

Ann, has Time magazine just pretty much laid down and given up because they just can't admit that there is evil in the world, and they don't want to acknowledge it? And so they'd rather just throw out some lame idea of Mr. and Mrs. America?

ANN COULTER, AUTHOR, "GODLESS": I really kind of think they have, and I hate to pile on. I mean, everybody is attacking the Time magazine man of the year. But I'm trying to come up with the counter argument. I really think it's lame on, like, six different levels.

As you say, we're in the middle of a War on Terrorism. This isn't a joke. This isn't like arguing about Social Security. And you know, the other thing is it's kind of pathetic, it's really pathetic, not kind of pathetic, that they seemed to have just discovered the Internet. I mean, they should have made it Matt Drudge a dozen years ago and then the next year and the next year and the next year. And now, oh, YouTube, so you can watch videos on the Web. Woo.

HANRETTY: But in all seriousness, we've got North Korea, which tried to launch nuclear weapons or tried to launch missiles against the United States. We've got the president of Iran, who on a daily basis rants against Israel, wants to wipe them off the face of the earth.

Alan is rolling his eyes. Alan is with Time magazine. So what? It's just not a big deal, I guess.

COULTER: Alan was happy he was named.

COLMES: When are you going to congratulate me? I want my congratulations.

COULTER: Congratulations.

COLMES: When they named Hitler, conservatives were all upset. And everybody was upset, not just conservatives at, "Oh, my God. Look at who they named as person of the year." It's not a Rotary Club event. It's you name who had the most impact on society.

COULTER: Right. Right. No, that's what we are saying, though. I think it probably should have been one of the "evil doers" or George Bush. Let's get...

COLMES: Pat, congratulations on the award. Very good that you got named. But you — what do you think of Time's choice, Pat?

PAT CADDELL, FORMER DEMOCRATIC POLLSTER: I thought it was — I thought it was typical. You know, this is so typical media.

But I just want to say something before I say something else on the first thing. Dick Morris could not be more wrong about what he just said about the Democratic race. —Just so you know that. —Couldn't be more wrong.

COULTER: Oh, come on. Elaborate on that.

CADDELL: I just — but, in any way because of — let me tell you what I think of the Time thing. They needed a gimmick because nobody reads Time and Newsweek any more. So this is their way to do it. And there are much better people.

The American people — let me finish the point. —The American people, you want to honor the American people? Do it for the fact that the fortitude of having to put up with the corruption of this political system which I even find here in South Carolina right now, the favoritism and stuff.

But I'll tell you what. And also putting up with the media and the arrogance of what we have seen this week with — you know, with this thing with poor Senator Johnson, ghoulishness in Washington.

COLMES: We're going back to Time magazine person of the year. The fact is, we have Web 2.0, not the Web of the original Matt Drudge, as Ann Coulter suggested.

It's MySpace. We've got people networking and communicating online, YouTube. People can be their own publishers. This is what it's all about in terms of...

CADDELL: They hate it, so I guess they had to finally acknowledge it.

COLMES: What's that?

CADDELL: They had to finally acknowledge it because — they had to finally acknowledge it because it's just overrun them. I mean, it's sad in a way for them. I felt sorry for them.

COLMES: We're all empowered, Ann. That's what this is about. We all have the opportunity to get on, as our friend, Matt Drudge does, and be publishers and make a statement and change the world.

COULTER: Right. But that happened a dozen years ago.

(CROSSTALK)

CADDELL: But the problem is right now...

COLMES: It's reaching critical mass now.

CADDELL: Ann was right.

COULTER: It's not reaching critical mass.

COLMES: Yes, it is. Of course it is.

COULTER: It was big in 1994. That was when the most people got on.

COLMES: This is the year of MySpace, of YouTube, of social networking...

COULTER: It was big when Matt Drudge got a president impeached and exposed the dress and the Monica story. That was...

COLMES: Now we have more Matt Drudges. This is the year of social networking, Pat Caddell.

COULTER: This is the invention of the telephone verses, you know, a pretty telephone and a princess telephone.

COLMES: That's right.

COULTER: The differences you're coming up with are nothing.

COLMES: This is the extension phone, Pat. We've invented the extension phone.

(LAUGHTER)

CADDELL: Let me tell you something. Let me tell you something. Let me say this. There are images of — you know, there are so many more interesting, important people, I think the American people, you know — it was just a gimmick because they need to sell a magazine.

COLMES: Tell me, Pat, where is Dick Morris wrong?

CADDELL: It's pretty much — the guy, the president of Iran, what he has done, the president of Iran has done this year and driving things for one thing, and just this latest Holocaust thing. I mean, he's giving us hell in Iraq. We're not dealing with it. I mean, that's — I mean, you know that's the man of the year, if you want to know who's driving the show here.

COLMES: Tell me where you think Dick Morris is wrong.

CADDELL: Dick Morris is wrong because [Barack] Obama is a very real threat because the country is tired of politics as usual and this kind of cynical stuff.

And [John] Edwards is not finished. All Dick needs to do is look at the Iowa poll. The fact of the matter is this race has a long way to go.

And this thing about Hillary Clinton, I know that's how he sells his books. But the fact of the matter is, is he's absolutely wrong about this — Obama. Now, he may not be experienced, but this country, I went through this in 1976. The desperation when the country wants something different. And they reacted to something very real.

COLMES: Ann Coulter, Dick Morris said if Democrats win will you leave the country?

COULTER: Did he make that comment?

COLMES: Yes, he said he would leave the country if Hillary won. Do you want to make the same commitment?

COULTER: No, I may...

COLMES: We can do a satellite wherever you are.

COULTER: But my money may leave the country.

COLMES: I see.

HANRETTY: All right.

CADDELL: If she wins may I have to leave the country. Don't worry about her leaving...

HANRETTY: Good grief! No one — no one will be left watching "Hannity & Colmes"...

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