Rating: 
Summary: Hilarious way to set some facts straight. Great work Al
Review: I recieved the book from Amazon yesterday and could not put it down. I totally agree with him about Ann Coulter who is fond of trying to paint her meanest stuff as jokes the readers who disagree with her have missed. Anyway, don't miss the opening "A Note from the Author" and "Introduction" they are not a part to skip over in this book. My favorite chapters were "Ann Coulter: Nutcase", "Bill O'Reilly:Lying Splotchy Faced Bully", I Attend the White House Correspondence Dinner and Annoy Karl Rove, Richard Perle, Paul Wolfowitz, and the Entire Fox News Team", "I'm a Bad Liar",and,oh gosh, there was just so much in this book to talk about and chuckle over. Al and TeamFranken, his team of Harvard soon to be graduate reseachers, check out and source every quote and misquote from the rabid right and set record after record straight from their bios to their attacks on everything middle to left. He documents their takeover of our discourse on a mountain of lies and the meek acceptance of the stuff they spew by the mainstream media. Thank you Mr. Franken. His documentation of George Bush's favorite stump speech quote as being based not on W's own speech as claimed, but Al Gore's speech was amazing. What an eye opener into the President and his "Brain". Al's impromptu interview with the bad tempered former First Lady Barbara Bush was exactly what I always thought she was like personally. You can tell from her expressions even when she is scripted that she is a humorless control freak. Yet despite all of his pointed humor and research he does it with a certain amount of kindness they don't deserve. He is always polite when addressing the people he questions, they are not always polite in return. As an example, he has a lot of fun on his trip to Bob Jones University but does it with a fairly gentle hand. Oddly enough as a fan of Religious art myself I now find I will have to plan a trip there to visit what appears to be a fine collection of art. I would not have known about this font of culture without this book. His tribute to the wonderful Paul Wellstone and his friends and family should shame all the Americans who fell for the fabricated attacks made on them by the right. Keep it up Mr. Franken, America needs more honest people who check their facts and have an appreciation for "Humor on the square".
Rating: 
Summary: A reader's 'confirmation bias' dream book
Review: I respect anyone's right to author books which challenge the thoughts of others. As a conservative fan of Rush Limbaugh, I find hypocracy in Rush's newly found perspective on drug addiction. However, when an author pummels others for being dishonest, loose with the facts or deceptive, there is a clear MANDATE to be very clear with the facts used as allegation. Can anyone disagree with this? Think about it. Satire or not, think of the title and the allegations. When you read such a book, don't you hope everything cited is exactly as suggested? At least we should hope that there is no intentional deception or loose fact checking in the allegations. This seems to be a no-brainer. I suggest a quick click over to a reference web cite which examines some of Franken's claims. I know the conservative-haters out there will never look, because they will have already judged the content before perusing it. Fine, just don't call yourself fair or balanced, but rather a dogmatic partisan. Here is the site: http://www.frankenlies.com/ Jp.s. - I have read thebook, seen his his footnotes and suggest two things. 1. He has artfully revealed some of his more obvious misrepresentations. 2. Anyone who suggests that all of these representations are well revealed is blissfully (perhaps intentionally) unaware. Read the pro-book comments please. Obviously Franken fans are taking this as Gospel, so you need to go on the 'none of it is intended to be taken as true' tour. When ANYONE does that, I will see the humor. Please examine your bveliefs before making suggestions about what I have bought or read. Really. He has built in an clear litigation shield, no doubt, but he clearly intends for the facts to be taken truth by those who are looking for a reason. Hence the title of my review. Look it up. And yes, I have considered that Franken was actually including himself in the title, as a source of humor. Also recommended: Alan Colmes - Red, White & Liberal: How Left Is Right & Right Is Wrong
Rating: 
Summary: A Very Generous Three Stars
Review: I sat down with this book on my lunch break at the book store I work at and flipped first to the section on Bill O'Reilly, thinking that I would eventually read the entire thing. What I found, however, turned me off to the rest of the book entirely. Al Franken is a decent writer whose ultra-partisan views blind him from considering the reasonable objections his assertions beg. For example, he includes a quote where Bill O'Reilly says it's inapproprate to assign college students the Koran to read when their nation is at war with radical Islam, comparing this to assigning American students Mein Kampf during WWII. Then, over a year later, when a Muslim confronts Bill with comparing the Koran to Mein Kampf, Bill denies it. This is one of four "lies" that Franken charges him with. Only it isn't a lie. Bill never compared the Koran to Mein Kampf- he compared the modern-day assignment with a hypothetical assigment in the past, in order to illustrate why he thought the selection was inappropriate. Any reasonable person could see that. Al Franken could not. The other three "lies", taken at face value, seem more likely: Franken shows that Bill lied about registering as an Independent; that he *may* have lied when he said that his old television show won a Peabody when, in fact, it won a Polk (though this *could* have been an honest mistake- a possibility Franken doesn't entertain); and that O'Reilly exaggerates his "humble" origins. But none of these lies, exaggerations, whatever you want to call them justify putting his picture on the cover of a book dedicated to liars. I asked myself after finishing this section if it was worth my time to read more. What made me decide "no" was Franken's juvenile tone and bland writing. When I opened this book, I was hoping for someone as entertaining as Ann Coulter- who is damn funny if you aren't offended by hypocrisy and hate. But while Franken has an axe to grind, his tone is that of a high school student telling off his parents. Even the titles of his two best known books ("Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot" and "Lies and the Lying Liars who Tell Them") give us the sense that their author is arrested, somehow, in his development. Why not name this latest screed "Bill O'Reilly, Ann Coulter and All of Their Friends are Poopy-Heads"? Unfortunately, one gets this sense while reading the book at well. He refers to Bill O'Reilly as "Bill O'Lie-ly". Oh, that's clever. For the love of God... Al Franken has all the neuroses of Michael Moore (chief among them being narcissism and a need to be feel enlightened) and one tenth of Moore's significant talent. I'm giving his book three stars because I only read one section of it and I must admit that it is *possible* that the part on "O'Lie-ly" was a rough patch in an otherwise entertaining text. Unfortunately for the usefulness of this review, I can't bring myself to find out if this is the case. Still, from what I've read, my advice is to rent this book from the library, or avoid it altogether. Franken isn't worth the hype.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Stuff, But We Shouldn't Have to Hear it from a Comedian
Review: I saw Al Franken on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart a few weeks ago, talking about this book. Jon asked him a long, drawn-out question about why it fell to Al Franken to write a book exposing the lies and half-truths of the right-wings pundits. After all, Jon asked, isn't the mainstream media policing itself and tearing all the Limbaugh-Hannity-Coulter crap to shreds? After this long, 30-second, serious question, Franken paused, looked away for a second, and just said, "no" (that the media wasn't doing its job). This one-word answer sums up the frustration and delight that come with reading Franken's book. It is a well-written, funny, nicely-researched, and angry volume. For those who read progressive news on a regular basis, there is nothing new here. But it's disconcerting that it takes humorists to get people's attention regarding our most important public issues. If the American people (I balk at using the word "citizens," because of general American idiocy) would pay as much attention to serious journalism as they do to the latest flavors of Doritos, then maybe Al Franken and his ilk could go back to show business where they belong. But I do recommend this book. Buy it, read it, and then loan it to someone else to read it.
Rating:
Summary: Al Franken....Pundit or Prophet?
Review: I saw that Bill O'Reiley's henchmen over at Fox News (Unfair and Unbalanced) hated this book bad enough to try to sue for prior restraint. Considering that the classified documents known as the "Pentagon Papers" weren't injoined from publication, I had to know exactly what Bill was so afraid of. Now I know...the truth. This book is the quitissential retort to the relentless barrage of right-wing distortions, lies and outright intimidations that has been sprewing across America like the final scene in an adult film. In a very concise package, Mr. Franken (sounds like Mr. President, doesn't it) takes on that shrill harpy of the right, Ann Coulter (better known as McCarthy's Love Monkey). He also skewers Fox's own bloated windbag of petulance (Bill O'Reilly) and that camera friendly disfuntional, Sean Hannity (A man whose only two qualifications for his job are first rate hair and third rate ideas). This book is a must read for anyone sick of the deceptive, sound-bite driven politics that have destroyed the American economy and security since the Thief-in-Chief took (the) office.
Rating:
Summary: Unfortunately, after reading through this ...
Review: I should have known the author would not be very objective in his attempt at showing a fair an balanced view of the political spectrum. If I could give this a 0 star, I would. Mosts of his attempts at "exposing" liars are pointing out times when someone had mispoke or made a mistake somewhere in their research, instead of seeing it as it is, he'll dramatize it as a deliberate attempt at deceit. However those that would be regarded as more to Mr. Al Frankfooter's side of the political spectrum for the most part, placed in a more positive context. The Self Irony in the title should of warn most intelligent folks of this books content. I can not imagine why anyone would believe the title anything other than oxymoronic. After reading this book, the title "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right
by Al Franken " on top should be renamed "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at Al Franken". It seems to make more sense.
Rating:
Summary: FACTUAL INACCURACIES!!!! did not find one!
Review: I simply deplore american politics, i hate it's high brow attitude towards the rest of the world, whereas it ,itself is filthier than a slum in calcutta. this book was along the same line, but i did not find a lot of factual inaccuracies(that's why i gave it a four star, and the humor was crisp too), unlike Slander or No spin zone which are mindnumbing, boring and full of inaccuracies. the irony of this book is subtle. people with strong affiliation with the extreme right(that includes, Pat robertson, FOx Network and John Ashcroft) will not find this amusing. otherwise this is a rather contemporary sattire though directly marketed to the democrats and liberals, can be very entertaining for centerists too. I enjoyed the book, and though i think this guy Al franken should write something more serious, i like his humor(though i thought the Kharap Juta part was NOT funny, neither ironic, but SAD) i would buy another of his books. and hopefully Ann Coulter will be able to respond to her factual inaccuracies(downright lies sometimes) and come out with a book solid as this one in FACTS.
lastly those of you have been bashing this guy or the book, my question is PLEASE FIND ME ANY FACTUAL INACCURACIES! i would like to see someone here come up with one, and MADE UP FACTS are NOT facts, they are called fiction(note o'riley). so pardon my directness but keep your politics to yourself and try to be fair, or is it too much to ask.
OMI
Rating:
Summary: Masterful!
Review: I sincerely hope this book begins the deconstruction of the political shape this country has taken on the molting right-wings of intellectually dishonest conservatism. This book is a masterful work! Al Franken takes us on a humorously cathartic tour through the current events, politics and economics of the conservative right that should enrage anyone who is paying attention.
Rating:
Summary: Mr. Sandman
Review: I sleep better at night knowing that Al Franken is alive and sentient. Al, please remove that muzzle before the next book.
Rating:
Summary: Why do people read this stuff?
Review: I spent my time a while back to read Rush's book because I knew he was an idiot and wanted to be informed. Ditto here. Why can't we throw these guys on an island somewhere and let them argue by themselves- I am tired of it all. Neither idiot represents the average American, so why do they pretend to?
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