Political Cortex: Brain Food for the Body Politic

Conservative scribe Ann Coulter cribbed liberally in her latest book, "Godless," according to a plagiarism expert.

John Barrie, the creator of a leading plagiarism-recognition system, claimed he found at least three instances of what he calls "textbook plagiarism" in the leggy blond pundit's "Godless: the Church of Liberalism" after he ran the book's text through the company's digital iThenticate program.

He also says he discovered verbatim lifts in Coulter's weekly column, which is syndicated to more than 100 newspapers, including the Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Sun-Sentinel and Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle.

This patent evidence of wrongdoing has led her publisher to begin an internal investigation! (Although they had to be prodded into it by the aptly-named tpmmuckracker).

So then, perhaps it's not surprising that Coulter would LASH OUT at the Murdoch paper, as if it was one of her liberal bogeymen and not the tip of the spear of the Republican Noise Machine:

Coulter wrote: "Once considered a legitimate daily, the Post has been reduced to tabloid status best known for Page Six's breathless accounts of Paris Hilton's latest ruttings, and headlines like 'Vampire Teen -- H.S. Girl Is Out for Blood.' How crappy a newspaper is the Post? Let me put it this way: It's New York's second-crappiest paper."

She added: "Maybe the Post's constant harassment of me is an attempt to shake me down for protection money like they did with billionaire businessman Ron Burkle. I have sold a LOT of books -- more books, come to think of it, than any writers at the New York Post."

Extra butter on that popcorn please!

Of course, as New Yorkers know, picking a fight with the Post is not always smart, as the paper is quite good at splashing a person's mug across its cover accompanied by an embarrassing headline.  (That's what tabloids do after all, and if there's one thing the Post is, it's a good tabloid).

I look forward to the Post continuing the Coulter plagarism investigation, and perhaps featuring the next chapter of the saga on the cover.

To help the Post out, feel free to suggest a good tabloidy headline for the Coulter plagarism scandal in comments.  (Trust me, this is the only time I will EVER ask you to help out a Rupert Murdoch property).