Rating: 
Summary: Another splendid savaging of the right wing savages...
Review: I haven't completed the book yet, but I've read everything else by Franken. This, so far, exceeds even 'Big Fat idiot...' in its side-splitting Factor. The chapter on Bill O'Rielly is, of course, a must read. The spin certainly does stop here...
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous
Review: I haven't decided which is more entertaining - Franken's book or the one-star reviews of it here. My favorite is by "tracy" (below), who use her review to "out" Franken for his phony letter to Ashcroft. She implores you to do a web search to see for yourself. It's in the book, Tracy! If you'd actually read it, you'd know that! And it gets even better... in her other book reviews, she gives 5 stars to "Letters From A Nut" ... a book full of phony letters to unsuspecting companies and organizations and their hilariously sincere responses! She thought that was a real hoot but Franken was somehow out of bounds when he did it. Incredible! Anyway, about the book...This is a gem by one of the few lefty media people to make a career out of confronting and disproving the conspiratorial lies of an increasingly right-wing media, and he'll keep you entertained throughout. The open-minded among you will find plenty to laugh about, though conservative apologists obviously won't see the humor here; they'll only sense the threat to their lying, vindictive smear campaigns that have too often gone unchallenged. Often, Franken only has to make a single phone call to the source of a story to completely debunk it straight from the horse's mouth. I'd like to think that even some Republicans are embarassed enough of the nitwits that represent the extreme (and mean!) wing of their party that they might appreciate this book too. I have to admit that I so despise the shrieking, devisive, juvenile conservative commentators that I got a lot of satisfaction from Franken's exposure of their lies and hypocrisies. However, his sarcastic tone might not be your cup of tea, even if the idea of the book is. There will be those who will wish he took the higher ground, though that wouldn't have been nearly as entertaining and quite frankly it probably wouldn't have reached nearly as many readers. Instead of standing above the cesspool of conservative mean-spiritedness, he sometimes sits at the edge and dangles his feet in. But the point is to be ironic and funny as well as informative. Despite the humor, this is not a lightweight book and its targets are not just silly liberal-bashers but also the bigger lies that have seeped into the public consciousness and swayed public opinion. For example, he takes on the disgusting, self-serving and oft-repeated lie that the blame for the 9/11 terrorist attacks rests solely on the shoulders of Bill Clinton. Whole books have been written on this subject but Franken only needs one chapter to debunk it. Common sense says that since it happened well into Bush's presidency, he must take at least as much, if not more responsibility but it is truly amazing the degree to which some people will filter out anything that doesn't agree with their delusional and dishonest world view. Despite the light tone, Franken insists on high standards of documentation and disclosure throughout the book. How refreshing! A good read for all but the dittoheads. I'm already looking forward to his next book.
Rating:
Summary: Conservatives Suck!
Review: I haven't even read it but I'm a liberal and I love everything that pisses of the right so this book is great and everyone should read it because if they don't how will they know what the facist neo-cons are doing to our country?
Rating:
Summary: A title that's no lie
Review: I haven't even read it yet, but my intuition tells me I'll love it.
Rating: 
Summary: Good For Al
Review: I haven't finished the book, but I am enjoying every page thus far. It is a breath of fresh air to finally read something that I have been craving for over two years. The truth! While Al's satire sometimes gets tiresome, the content of his book is excellent and humorous. It doesn't pander to the lowest common denominator, which most people who enjoy reading, both conservative and liberal, are not. As an aside, the fox tag line 'We Report You Decide' turns out to be a lie. No mention of the dropped lawsuit on their web page.
Rating: 
Summary: Thank God for Al Franken! - Buy This Book!
Review: I haven't read it although I did just read about 100 of the 2000 or so reviews so I get the idea; it's drivel. Nevertheless, I'm an Amazon stockholder; a part of every penny they make is mine, and anyone who reads this stuff might have otherwise bought beer with the money. Go for it! And buy a copy for a friend!
Rating:
Summary: Let's be honest folks
Review: I haven't read this book, but I felt the need to respond to some reviewers. First, grow up. Both the left and the right are neither demons nor saints because they have different opinions. Neither the left nor the right have a trademark on the truth, both sides have had noble periods and have had their inhumane periods. Second, why do these reviewers assume I am either left (and with them) or right (and against them)? That's a problem, as a country, we are dividing and we will fall if it continues. It seems childish to communicate that way. It sounds close-minded. I am in the middle. I cannot blindly side with the left nor the right. To get a full picture of American thought I need to hear from all sides. I try not to let bias keep from experiencing open dialog. I try not to assume I (or my side) is right and has all the answers and the other side just doesn't understand. Third, instead of being a mouthpiece for your side those reviewers who didn't (some did) give me anything but a cheer for the left give me an argument for why I should bother reading this book with my busy schedule. I read a few that sounded like this is just another of those bash the other side books liberals and conservatives both put out. What makes this one worth picking up? Whet my appetite, people!
Rating:
Summary: bulls eye
Review: i havent laughed some much reading a book in a while , the book is well written , he backs his accusations with facts,
Rating:
Summary: Belly laughs or stupidities, depending on your POV
Review: I heard about "Lies..." while listening to NPR's Terry Gross interviewing Bill O'Reilly who was whining about the book and how he was depicted therein, not to mention his "splotchy" pix on the cover. He later whined about how Terry Gross treated him before he walked out on her, claiming that she was a lot nicer to Al Franken when she interviewed him. I heard that interview too, and it was clear that, doggone it, she did like Franken better. (I think she couldn't help herself.) Anyway, by now everybody knows the story of how "Lies..." became a #1 Bestseller thanks to Fox News suing Franken for his use of what they thought was their propriety slogan "Fair and Balanced" in his title. The resulting publicity vaulted Franken to the top. Curious minds (like mine) wanted to know what the stink was all about. What I found out is "Fair and Balanced" this book is not, and of course Franken knows that and used the phrase ironically and as a special dig at the right-wing leaning Fox News people. He really does have a bee in his bonnet, if you will, about those shock jocks on the right. Perhaps he asked himself, How many AM radio talk shows are hosted by liberals? Try something like close to zero--or zay'row as the French say. That's nada, and you want to know why? Because people on the left like to think of themselves as above such Neanderthal hate-mongering, slogan-yelling, pseudo-righteous blathering and bullying; instead you will find them tuned solemnly to NPR or the BBC or catching the latest feminist play at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. As for real doctrinaire lefties of the bleeding heart variety they can be found listening to Pacifica radio as it spins multicultural music and first person reports from the exploited in Palestine or the jungles of South America. Liberals do NOT rant and rave or tell barnyard jokes in public. Please. Well, Al Franken excepted. So I don't know how well this will sit with people on the left. (People on the right will burn it along with their Dixie Chicks CDs.) But I would like to make an observation. Most successful political books are highly partisan, and they have a predictable readership: people on the right want it spelled out that liberals are commies and traitors, etc., while people on the left want it noted that George W. was a drunk, dodged serving in Vietnam, and is so immoral that he is giving the US treasury to Big Oil, Big Pharma, etc. and his friends at Halliburton (that's with two "l's", taxpayers) while waging an aggressive war for a personal photo-op in fighter pilot gear aboard an aircraft carrier. So popular political books tend to be one-sided. This one is no exception. Another thing: doctrinaire conservatives and doctrinaire liberals are swayed not one iota by argument because their beliefs are like religious beliefs, held regardless of evidence. I think the genetic pool of the human species includes genes that can be expressed for change or against change, depending on the early experience of the individual, and these left and right inclinations are not rationally held but are largely genetic. Ask yourself, have you ever seen a dyed-in-the-wool conservative or liberal swayed by rational argument or the preponderance of evidence? I didn't think so, which is possibly why Franken resorts to humor. Anyway, this is a belly-laughed romp or a stupid, off-color rant depending on your political leanings. I thought it was both.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent: funny, but scary at the same time
Review: I highly recommend this book for any open-minded person. It is a very well written revelation of how the right-wing uses lies and deceit to propaganize the nation. Al Franken, unlike his conservative antagonists, thoroughly documents all his assertions with the aid of a team of Harvard graduate students. Although Franken, a great comedian, uses humor and satire to tell his story, the book opens your eyes to the scary reality of just how powerful, sinister and ruthless the right-wing is in their use of the media to launch their attacks on those who dare to publicly disagree with them.
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