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CNN host Erin Burnett on Wednesday suggested that the National Rifle Association (NRA) had not crossed the line by targeting President Barack Obama's daughters in an advertisement.

The NRA advertisement released on Tuesday branded the president an "elitist hypocrite" for opposing armed guards in schools while his own daughters were being protected by the Secret Service. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney slammed the ad as "repugnant and cowardly" because "a president's children should not be used as pawns in a political fight."

Speaking to Burnett on Wednesday, CNN contributor Roland Martin agreed that the NRA was "weak and cowardly."

"There's no need to invoke the president's daughter's in this conversation," Martin insisted. "I can guarantee you that had anybody invoked the daughters of President George W. Bush in a similar ad attacking him, folks on the right would be just as upset. It makes no sense."

"But what about the fact that politicians use their kids when they want to politically all the time?" Burnett wondered.

The CNN host then displayed a photo of Bill and Hillary Clinton holding hands with their daughter Chelsea, followed by a second photo of Barack Obama with his arms around daughters Malia and Sasha.

Burnett explained: "Remember the famous picture of Chelsea Clinton, after the Monica Lewinski affair, walking between her parents? Or -- hold on, let me just finish -- this time before the DNC, when the White House released the picture of the president with his two daughters snuggling on the couch -- there it is -- watching Michelle Obama."

"You know, they use their children for political purposes when they want to," she opined.

"First of all, walking with Chelsea to the helicopter, they were going on vacation," Martin replied. "And so what are they supposed to do? Take her to another helicopter or through the back door or somewhere?"

"It was the hand holding!" Burnett interrupted.

"Okay, so what? If there was a photo and there was no hand holding then it's okay?" Martin shot back. "I mean, seriously, that is not the same as putting an ad out where you mentioning the president's daughters. It makes no sense. And, again, if you're the NRA, you don't have to actually do that, you don't have to go that far. If you want to do that, why don't you go to Chicago and say, 'How many armed guards are in Chicago schools where the president is from?' That's legitimate."

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The video of the forum hosted by 92Y in New York in their series called "Campaign For a Better Conversation" went up online a few days ago. Appropriately it featured Chelsea Clinton and Sandra Fluke among the speakers. The exchange captured media attention, recalling the ugliness of Rush Limbaugh's attacks on a teenage Chelsea.

Text via International Business Times:

Chelsea Clinton sympathized with women's issues advocate Sandra Fluke earlier this week, saying she too had been attacked by conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh when she was a kid in the White House.

Now, a video of the exchange (above) has been published, in which Clinton, daughter of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, is seen praising Fluke.

"[Sandra Fluke] and I actually have something in common," Clinton said on stage at the 92 Street Y in New York Wednesday night, during a discussion about women in politics. "We've both been attacked by Rush Limbaugh."

"I also believe that if you have the right type of enemies you are doing something correct," she said.

Sandra Fluke's reply on why she's doing what she's doing, despite the attacks on her character, was telling also. She said she was doing it to show younger girls that you don't back down from the bullies and the haters as that is what they want.

[Chelsea Clinton] "Sandra, you have reacted with such an ability nobility to everything that has happened. You have chosen to empower yourself over what has happened, and not become disempowered."

Fluke said she is thinking about what message her actions would have to young girls amid the controversy..

[Sandra Fluke] "They would clearly be thinking 'sit down and shut up,' because 'if I speak out that's what happens' ... I wanted to be an example of someone who did not go away," she said, adding: "I hope it will be an empowering moment in some strange way."

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Ann Coulter, a controversial backer of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, suggests that conservatives should begin attacking President Barack Obama's two young daughters.

On Wednesday, Fox News host Sean Hannity told Coulter that liberals had been "feigning outrage" over radio host Rush Limbaugh calling Georgetown University law student a "slut" because she wanted contraception to be covered by her health insurance.

"Coming from people who are constantly telling us about their abortions and their vaginas, no, I find it very hard to believe that they're so upset about any word Rush Limbaugh uses," Coulter explained. "I don't really care what words people use. I don't care about dirty jokes, sexist jokes, racist jokes etcetera, etcetera. All I care about is that they be funny. And I would like to hold a little seminar for certain individuals like David Letterman's writers to explain what is funny and what isn't."

CBS comedian David Letterman apologized in 2009 for joking that former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's then-18-year-old daughter, Bristol, had been "knocked up" by New York Yankees baseball player Alex Rodriguez after conservatives insisted he had been talking about Palin's 14-year-old daughter, Piper.

"I don't think that it's ever funny to make fun of -- like your buddy [Bill] Maher did -- the children of Rick Santorum or Gov. Palin in the manner he did," Hannity said.

"That's right, and they do go after the children," Coulter agreed. "I just say that going after the children generally ought to be off limits. It has not been off limits for Republicans, though, conservatives have taken the Obama children off limits."

"So maybe it's time to start imitating liberals in another way and go after the Obama children," she added. "By the way, that has been done grotesquely and viscously over the years by the left."

While most public figures do avoid keeping the children of politicians out of the line of fire, Limbaugh in 1993 attacked the then-13-year-old daughter of President Bill Clinton.

"Socks is the White House cat, but did you know there is also a White House dog?" Limbaugh asked while holding up a picture of Chelsea Clinton.

(H/T: Media Matters)