The best place to see the future of the conservative movement in America was in the ballroom of a Washington hotel last Friday, as Ann Coulter, the syndicated rightwing columnist, got up to speak.

To a chorus of "We love you, Ann", she launched into her trademark outrageous one-liners, denouncing moderate Republicans as "rats" and "Washington weenies". Libertarian Republicans fared little better. "If you are going to be a conservative in America, you can't be a pussy." Asked to describe her most difficult ethical dilemma, she gave a loud sigh. "There was one time I had a shot at [President Bill] Clinton."