Told You So?

This is a partial transcript of "The Big Story With John Gibson," October 27, 2005, that has been edited for clarity.

JOHN GIBSON, HOST: Conservatives have been slamming the president's nominee ever since she was announced, saying Harriet Miers (search) lacked ideological purity and intellectual heft. The president was also criticized for choosing an unqualified candidate because of his simple, close ties to her.

But, now, Miers has withdrawn her nomination. So does that add to Bush's political troubles?

Here to talk about it is Ann Coulter, the author of "How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must)."

She just received the first annual American Compass Book Award this afternoon, this very afternoon.

So, did we get rid of a nominee and lose a president here?

ANN COULTER, AUTHOR: No, we got a president back. He's a prince among men. I love President Bush, I'm so happy to be able to be on his side again.

GIBSON: Well, how does that work? Because, what it looks like is, he's got the Rove problem and Libby problem waiting in the wings Friday. He's got the obvious hurricane problems. He's got the obvious war problems and then his own people turned on him on the Supreme Court.

COULTER: First of all, the hurricane, despite what liberals say, the president is powerful but he cannot cause a Category Four hurricane.

Iraq is going as well as wars go. It's actually going quite well. Did you hear they have a new constitution? Because I've been watching news nonstop and reading the newspaper and I haven't read anything about it.

So, for viewers who've been glued to their TV for two weeks, Iraq has a new constitution, it was approved.

And conservatives turning against him. No, we love President Bush. He made a mistake. The mistake is gone now, so we love him again.

And as for Rove and Libby, I don't understand why that would have any effect on the White House. I feel sorry for Rove personally. I don't know what's going to happen. If he is indicted, I feel for him personally. It has nothing to do with Bush and the Republican Party. He doesn't need Rove again and I never heard of Scooter Libby (search) until 10 minutes ago.

GIBSON: What about DeLay (search)?

COULTER: I think that is not going to inure to the Democrats' benefit, to be having this obviously political prosecution of a political enemy, that just shows them to be the fascists that they are.

GIBSON: But, I just said in "My Word," in which you have noted occasionally hit's at least the barn door, if not the target, that Bush is kind of a lame duck now.

COULTER: Well, he was a lame duck as of the day he was re-elected. He's not going to run again, you only get two terms.

But no, I think now we can go full steam ahead. He has his army behind him and obviously it's a very powerful army.

I mean, consider Clinton for eight years who was betraying liberals all the time at every turn. Could they ever get him to reverse a policy? Conservatism is alive and well in America and now we are back behind our president.

GIBSON: Well, you don't know that yet. He hasn't named another nominee.

COULTER: That's true, but I think he knows we're ready to not be behind him if he doesn't name a good one.

GIBSON: Well, is today Ann Coulter's victory lap?

COULTER: No. We'll let bygones be bygones. I think Harriet Miers is a wonderful women, she has served our country and president well today. I am solidly behind the president now and no, no gloating.

GIBSON: For the moment.

COULTER: I'll be gloating on "O'Reilly" Thursday night. Because he scoffed at me when I said she ought to withdraw and people should write their senators.

But, I will not gloat with President Bush, because I am a loyal Republican.

GIBSON: OK, but you're not quite there yet because you don't know who he is going to nominate and you don't know if among all of the deep bench that the conservatives are so proud of, you don't know if he is going to go that bench, do you?

COULTER: I kind of do. I mean, what are you going to do? Chuck Schumer didn't defeat Harriet Miers. It was, or as Chuck Schumer (search) would say, it was radical right-wingers. What are you going to do now? You just lost to radical right-wingers.

And by the way, we are not gloating. Now we can love him again.

GIBSON: All right, so what happens? His person gets nominated, now the conservatives are behind this person and Schumer, Durbin, Kennedy and all start their thing again.

COULTER: It worked well with Roberts, didn't it?

GIBSON: Well, and he was good.

COULTER: No, and by the way.

GIBSON: Do you have another one that good?

COULTER: Yes, a hundred.

GIBSON: I mean, really that charming, really that articulate? Really that able to make Joe Biden look so bad?

COULTER: Yes, yes, yes. Make Joe Biden (search) look bad? We have a million who can do that. We have hundreds as good as John Roberts (search).

And by the way, if he sends up someone that we have been clamoring for, the deep bench of right wing, my favorite, Janice Rogers Brown (search).

GIBSON: Why is she your favorite?

COULTER: She has a well thought-out, conservative judicial philosophy. She is eminently qualified and most importantly, not most importantly, but importantly, she is a black woman and that will drive the Democrats so crazy, we might not even be able to execute them in Texas, which is a darn shame.

GIBSON: Lastly, if it came to it, who is more important to conservatives? If you had to throw one overboard, a Supreme Court seat or a president?

COULTER: Bush means nothing compared to a Supreme Court seat.

GIBSON: Bush means nothing compared to ...

COULTER: Compared to, your phrase confused me, so I made it more clear. No, if he does the right thing, we're his loyal supporters again.

GIBSON: Ann Coulter, the book is "How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must)." It's been on the best-seller list forever and she won a big award Thursday from the American Compass.

COULTER: Yes. It's sort of like the Pulitzer, except they've never given an award to Walter Durante (search) for covering up the Ukrainian famine.

GIBSON: And it isn't the Nobel committee giving awards to anti-Bush people. Ann Coulter, thank you very much, Ann.

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