Though left-leaning, Cohen has a quirky independent streak matched by few pundits. He supports abortion rights and gay rights, but was also one of the few to defend the Bush administration during the CIA leak scandal. During President Obama’s first year, he has advocated for government-run health care while opposing the Supreme Court nomination of Sonia Sotomayor.

Cohen’s unorthodox positions on some issues have raised eyebrows and, occasionally, tempers. He has suggested that the creation of the Israeli state was a "mistake," condemned Stephen Colbert's much-admired performance at the White House Correspondence Dinner, and argued that the usefulness of algebra is "a lie propagated by, among others, algebra teachers."