Ann Coulter’s critics are buzzing again today in the wake of her appearance on last night’s “Hardball” with Chris Matthews. I thought the interview was pretty lame at first, but that changed quickly when Elizabeth Edwards, wife of Democrat presidential candidate John Edwards, called into the show to berate Coulter.

Unfortunately for Edwards, someone should have kept her away from the phone. First of all, she got the facts wrong. And secondly, her call has prompted all sorts of buzz — exactly what Coulter wanted on the day her paperback version of “Godless” was released.

Let’s begin with the facts. As you’ll see from the transcript of the “Hardball” interview (available at NewsBusters), what prompted Edwards’ call was a comment that Coulter made on “Good Morning America” on Monday about Edwards’ husband. Taken out of context, it’s appalling. But when you look at the whole paragraph, it’s clear what Coulter was trying to say.

About the — oh yeah. I wouldn’t, I wouldn’t insult gays by comparing them to John Edwards. Now, that would be mean. But about the same time, you know, Bill Maher was not joking and saying he wished Dick Cheney had been killed in a terrorist attack. So I’ve learned my lesson. If I’m gonna say anything about John Edwards in the future, I’ll just wish he had been killed in a terrorist assassination plot.

Unfortunately for Coulter, only the last sentence is being aired, making her look even worse than Maher. In reality, she was trying to say that it’s wrong that Maher can make that statement about Cheney and get away with it. Edwards completely ignored that.

Coulter’s comments — like her earlier remarks at CPAC about Edwards — have prompted the campaign to launch yet another fundraising pitch. How convenient that this is happening only days before the second-quarter fundraising deadline. If I were a conspiracy theorist, I’d say that Coulter was in cahoots with the Edwardses. They’re helping her sell books and she’s helping them raise money.