Ann Coulter draws Twitter fire for misuse of word “retard” in reference to Obama

Parents of children with special needs are demanding an apology from conservative pundit Ann Coulter after she called President Barack Obama a retard for a second time in two days.

After referring to Obama in a Monday night tweet as "the retard," Coulter on Tuesday wrote: 

Obama: "Stage 3 Romneysia" – because cancer references are HILARIOUS.If he's "the smartest guy in the room" it must be one retarded room. — Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) October 23, 2012

Her initial tweet Monday read:

I highly approve of Romney's decision to be kind and gentle to the retard. — Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) October 23, 2012

By Tuesday afternoon, her tweet had been retweeted by more than 3,000 followers, and "favorited" by more than 1,200, according to the International Business Times.

However, it had also prompted internet outrage, according to the Hollywood Reporter, with even conservative Twitter-tracking site Twitchy.com blasted Coulter for her use of the derogatory word for the mentally disabled: 

"Evidently the bottom of the barrel wasn’t completely scraped clean after Ann Coulter called President Obama a 'retard' yesterday. And fancy that: She’s still not funny." 

CNN cited blogger Ellen Seidman, mother of a special needs child, as saying: 

"At this point, I'm thinking the woman must surely be aware that the word is offensive, and she chooses not to care. That's pretty vile and heartless. You want to slam the president, go ahead. But you can't think of any other word to use? Come on."

The Special Olympics condemned her use of the word, saying that it was "sad to see @AnnCoulter continue her use of hateful language by using the #Rword in her discourse."

According to CNN, Congress has banned the use of the words "retard" and "retardation" in  legislation, preferring "intellectual disability."

Coulter, known for numerous other controversial statements — including that the US would be better off if women didn’t vote — is an author and guest commentator.

The Examiner pointed out that her latest book, "Mugged," is not doing well on Amazon.com, languishing at No. 792 among paid Kindle books and No. 198 among hardcover books.

Several publications have distanced themselves from her, including “National Review,” “USA Today” and “The Arizona Daily Star.”