Rating: 
Summary: Pure Unadulterated Intellectual Dishonesty
Review: Let me begin this review by stating I am a proud compassionate Conservative. At first glance I thought this book would anger me as Franken ruthlessly attacked those on the Conservative side. However, as I read this book I could not help but laugh at the ridiculous claims of "lies" and "distortions". Almost every "lie" was followed by Franken saying "while this is technically true". I feel he is mostly correct in his criticism of Bill O'Reilly. However, the venom he attacks Ann Coulter and Sean Hannity with can only be interpreted as the desperate flailing of a Liberal who has no better arguments than to call names and point out superficial errors and distort them as lies. Franken's chapters trying to reverse spin the Liberal media into a Conservative media are ridiculous. Ann Coulter's and Bernie "self proclaimed Liberal" Goldberg's books have so expertly exposed this and if anyone has watched the news in the last 10 years, it is plainly obvious that there is a Liberal bias in the media. To argue this is pointless. Franken's obsession with the Felon-in-Chief that previously occupied the White House is also hilarious. I loved the claims expressed about Clinton's military. He talked about how technologic advancements were made to turn "dumb" bombs into "smart" bombs. He does not identify that the reason there were so many "dumb" bombs is because Reagan made a huge buildup despite Liberals fighting him every step of the way. GPS technology was not available until Clinton's terms. So here and with the alleged booming economy Clinton created, he was only assisted by growth of technology (i.e. the Internet) that he had nothing to do with. Besides as Franken asserts it was Al Gore that invented the Internet. I am also surprised at the amount of times Franken lies in this book although I'm certain if confronted about it he will just say that he was using his gift of satire. Satire is always a clever way to hide the fact that you have no proof of any of your accusations. There is one whole chapter devoted to deceiving and exposing the vile creatures that exist at a Bible college in the south. Imagine people holding personal religious beliefs at a private institution and then being ridiculed and criticized by someone who admittedly has no knowledge or concern about why they believe what they believe. Near the end of this chapter Franken lets loose a wild shot in the dark and accuses Bob Jones of being a Nazi sympathizer and taking some of the spoils that Hitler had stolen from the European Jews. This is something he provides absolutely no proof of. The last paragraph of this book sums it all up.
"Then O'Reilly and company will have to resort to Plan B: name-calling. Which, I think, will expose them for what they are. Stupid ********." He is saying that after Conservatives are exposed as liars they will have to call people names. As is clear throughout this book and previous books by Franken and Michael Moore that Liberals were exposed as liars long ago and have been name calling ever since.
Rating: 
Summary: Insightful, funny, a little overwhelming
Review: Let me first just get this off my chest. I am not a liberal or a conservative. I consider myself a middle-of-the-road person. But, I must admit, that I found Al Franken's book, Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them to be one oif the more enlightening political books I've read in a while. While it comes as no shock to me that people like Bill O'Rilley and Ann Coulter are loose with their facts, the detail at which Franken exposes their lies is quite amazing. This book made my already strong dislike for Ann Coulter shift into complete disgust. This book also made me really think about how many half-truths and misleading ideas there are in public policy today. From this insipid war to our President's other blunders (like Leave no Child Behind.) At the end of this book, I felt a bit overwhelmed. Not from learning that some on the far right are liars. But overwhelmed on how easy it has become for media pundits to manipulate the truth and build up an entire subculture of people who are completely misinformed. The book isn't perfect. It has its warts and overly liberal moments. But, I very much enjoyed the material.
Rating: 
Summary: a one-two punch combination to the "fair" right
Review: Let me first tell you that I'm not a leftist or a right-winger. But I just thought that the right-leaning media was getting away with it.
Through a plethora of DOCUMENTED exposés Al Franken (an unrepentant left-winger) shows readers exactly what the right media is doing, and why they're getting away with it.
To begin with, you cannot overlook Franken's funny, sardonic, witty writing style. However, he knows when to be serious so as not to undermine his research work.
On to the substance! He first starts by debunking Ann Coulter, who I always thought was a very sneaky, half-wit, over-hyped liar. He shows how she hides information from the readers. How she takes quotes completely out of context and how she mis-construdes statements. Even some of her sources are utterly baffled at the mis-representation of the facts.
Then to O'Reily whom I've always thought was a moron with a tele prompter. He's so flagrant in his right-wing agenda, and so arrogant about his "fair and balanced" views, that he's actually a pretty easy target. Now, onto an even easier target. Sean Hannity. This guy, you've got to give him credit. I don't how he made it into main-stream TV. If you think O'Reily is arrogant, well this guy is much more so, but with nothing to brag about. He's right-out DUMB! Yet he claims to have a much deeper understanding of the underlying ethereal ways our world works--Give me a break! He would not know how much is 1+1 even if he tried.
And Franken goes on with a multitude of very revealing, and starking facts about the so-called "fair and balanced."
As an independent-minded and skeptical person, I can tell you that this book is one of Franken's better ones. Yes he gives his left-leaning views, yet you could read the book, skim off the political ideology statements and still be a good book.
I highly recommend it... For what it's worth!
Rating:
Summary: Truth about conservative lies
Review: Let me just say that I LOVED this book. It was informative, truthful, and really funny. Franken does something few on the left or right actually take the time to do. He checks his facts and does his research. He shows that there is NO liberal media bias, that Bill Clinton did everything he could to stop terrorists (despite the many attempts by conservatives to stop him), and that Ann Coulter and Bernard Goldberg don't know what they're talking about. I must say I am proud to have a Harvard comedian on the left side of the aisle. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to enlighten themselves.
Rating:
Summary: So it's come to this!
Review: Let me just start out by saying that I am a liberal and am offended by this garbadge and by being affiliated with the author. Since when did dumb over the hill commedians become sources for political information and representatives of liberals? I agree with a lot of the information but the format is just nausiating. For example, I read "Treason" by Ann Coulter and was ready to throw up. I disagree with just about everything she says. But I would never stoop to that level of name calling and smearing. The best way is to not dignify it with response. I know Ann Coulter is wrong but there is no need to be as bad as she is. Stick with the more open minded Alan Colmes' book "Red White and Liberal." His book pushes the "liberal agenda" with out the smearing. I urge EVERYONE(both conservatives and liberals) DO NOT READ THIS BOOK!!
Rating:
Summary: Libs Don't Sound Convincing Enough To Brainwash Anyone
Review: Let me say that I too haven't read this book. Also, this doesn't make me as condemnable as what liberals have charged the one star reviewers for doing, and that is passing judgment with no basis. Instead, I too, like the reviewer pandorasdad, am going to depreciate the people on both sides of the aisle, as libs and cons are both over-the-top in their hardened party lines. However, i'm not gonna' be clement to rate this with 3 stars. I give this one star based on the stinging fact that's materialized, which is that the liberals are REALLY, just monstrously more hostile and corrosive in their reviews. Just looking at the last few liberal reviews, It's obvious that they refuse to retain any trace of civility and composure; instead willfully choosing to angrily lash out at anyone who doesn't subserve their liberal plan.
Rating:
Summary: Hilariously Poignant
Review: Let me start by saying that I am a firm believer in being a centerist. Why not stand on the fence and watch the Hatfields and McCoys take shots at each other? Finally, however, here is a book that actually lives up to its name. While Mr. Franken is definitely a liberal (nothing wrong with that, neither is anything wrong with Ann Coulter being a conservative), he does listen and allow arguments from both sides to be discussed. That being said, Mr. Franken's book is absolutely hilarious. I found myself reading it in public and laughing so hard and some of his observations that I was given funny looks (apparently books are not to be laughed at one man told me as he watched Bill O'Reilly). Now, I will admit that I would not have bought this book if it weren't for Fox suing Franken (I believe in Libraries, sorry Mr. Franken) but I am definitely glad that I bought this book. Let's look at some of the aspects of this book: To begin with, I am glad someone finally stood up and reponded to Ms. Coulter and her rabid attacks. There is standing up for your politics...and then there is all out war. While I would not necessarily use Mr. Franken's description, I do completely agree with him about endnotes. That was one of the problems that I had with her last book. Though at times his stories can seem to be drifting into almost attacking the members of the right, he deftly approaches the line, only to use humor to show that he can actually poke fun at some of his ideas. Still, from his candid look at the last presidential election to his explanation of the war of words between himself and Bill O'Reilly (and I must admit that I laughed very hard at the idea of Mr. Franken eliciting the response of "Shut up, shut up" from a man that usually seems so composed as Mr. O'Reilly), the examples that Mr. Franken give makes the reader truly think about what the direction of the country is right now. Other sections look at the events leading up to and the fallout from 9/11, as well as rating the President's actions with regards to the environment, the economy, and religion (here's a hint...not so good, but his observations on why are hysterically funny and in alot of cases...eye-opening). Perhaps I am twisting the overall meaning of the book a little bit (I guess you could say that I am putting my own media spin on it), but it seems that Mr. Franken is saying that instead of letting someone like him or members of the media tell you what to think, you need to go out, find out the facts for yourself (and that's all the facts, not just what one source tells you) and make up your own mind, rather than let someone tell you how to think. Overall, this book is a quick read that is hilariously poignant and asks the reader to examine how they came to think their thoughts about politics. Well done. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Al Franken: My Liberal Hero
Review: Let me start with the following: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha hoo hoo hoo hee hee hee. Is Stuart Smalley the new Democratic hero? Mr. Al "Us Liberals Aren't Going To Take It Anymore" Franken, new lapdog of the Victim party. I read this "book" while waiting for my wife to load up on the new set of Dr. Phil books. This "book" could have used a couple of edits; maybe the thick lenses made the text blurry. But just read the beginning of the book title: "Lies and the Lying Liars...". Oh wait! Stop, I can't take it any more ha ha ha hoo hoo hoo hee hee hee. Oh man, he shore did git those Republicans. Democrats, repeat to yourselves "I'm strong enough, I'm smart enough, and Darn It! You Republicans must respect me." The problem is that Republicans like to stick to facts, while authors like Franken are reminded of their dreary childhoods and prefer ad hominem attacks, which is basically what the book is all about. It's a speed reader's 10-minute rant, where you end up feeling sorry for the guy and all of his clinging fans (see below). Hear this Republicans - liberals are angry, but they have NO idea what to do about it except whine about Bush and "do something". Franken likes to tell everyone that he went to Harvard, but I believe someone wrote a book titled "Useful Idiots", and that fits the bill perfectly. But overall, I do recommend this book for wimpy Democrats because they'll be in perfect sync with all of the party talking points. There's nothing in the book that will offend their hair-trigger sensibilities, so they won't be running to Mommy about someone being mean.
Rating: 
Summary: Mean-spirited but entertaining
Review: Let's face it, liberal comedians of the SNL stripe have built careers out of taking broad swipes at the right, basically mocking their duplicity and sanctimonious nature. Franken has been somewhat more successful, probably due to his better writing skills and penchant for research, but he is simply extending his comedic routines to highlight some very disturbing facts about the conservative media machine and the Bush administration. This book isn't serious political discourse, but it is entertaining and enlightening. Fox News and their Neo-Con ilk are basically SNL for conservatives, but the problem I have is that Fox News, Coulter, and Hannity et al hide behind the shield of "journalism" to disseminate fabrications designed to forward a specific political agenda. Franken and his kind don't really pretend to be impartial journalists - they're comedians making fun of politicians.
Rating:
Summary: Franken isn't as funny as Franken thinks he is!
Review: Let's face it, this book just isn't funny, or even accurate. Franken couldn't even come up with an original title. Instead he "borrows" from the fox news network in an obvious effort to boost sales. Don't waste your money. If you consider this a must read, get it from the library. I'm sure it's not in high demand. Better luck next time Al!
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