Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't put it down. Howled with laughter.
Review: make sure you check out Al on air america radio. It is great to have someone on the radio who can actually make you laugh.It is so great to have people like Al Franken who can make education entertaining. And make entertainment which is undeniably rooted in fact. I hope that John Kerry will ask Al to help him with his approach to this campaign. Kerry seems educated, brimming with factual ideas but could definately use help to come accross more likeable.
Rating:
Summary: Franken exposes conservative lies
Review: Many of the conservative reviewers who're attempting to point to Franken's lies are actually digging their own grave. To cite an example, a 1-star reviewer writes on Nov. 8, 2003:
"and Ann Coulter naming a list of ugly Democratic women. Didn't happen. Coulter recalls that left-wingers, while recoiling in horror from the idea of calling a woman ugly, had no trouble suggesting that "the ugliest women ever to darken the planet are Paula Jones, Linda Tripp and [Florida Secretary of State] Katherine Harris." " Ann Coulter *does indirectly* label certain democratic women ugly. Here's Franken's excellent observation (footnote on page 85):
"Coulter, in her own deeply perverse idiom, weighs in on the issue of insulting women for their appearance. "There is nothing so irredeemably cruel as an attack on a woman for her looks. Attacking a female for being ugly is a hideous thing, always inherently vicious...so which women are constantly being called ugly? Is it Maxine Waters, Chelsea Clinton, Janet Reno, or Madeline Albright? No, none of these. Only conservative women would have their looks held up to ridicule because only liberals could be so malevolent. A blind man in America would think the ugliest women ever to darken the planet are Paula Jones, Linda Tripp, and Katherine Harris. This from the party of Bella Abzug." Nicely done, Ann! Triple bank shot. Attacking Democrats for being irredeemably cruel while pointing to five, count 'em five, suppossedly unattractive Democratic women." Franken is on the mark. Note that Coulter's words -- "This from the party of Bella Abzug" -- is implying that Bella Abzug is one among the ugliest women!
Rating:
Summary: if the truth is a weapon, i suppose franken is attacking.
Review: many of the negative reviews of this book say that franken is "attacking" the right. i suppose it is true in a sense. the truth does hurt and it may very well feel like he is attacking them. all he is doing in the book really is pointing out the falsehoods that right-wingers decide to pass off as truth. it does not take a genius to skew and misrepresent quotes in magazines to favor one's own side. It doesn't take a genius to point out these lies either. the true genius of this book is in the humorous way in which he approaches these things. the tone of the book is not one of anger. he must have been smiling the whole time he was writing. he is after the truth. when he hears some outrageous claim from coulter or o'reilly he doesn't just believe it. he looks it up. he talks to people. he learns things.
and so we learn things. we laugh. we may grind our teeth at times, but it isn't franken that's making us mad. its the facts.
its funny that if franken really is lying so much in this book that he hasn't been successfully sued for slander as of yet. coulter went to law school didn't she? well i suppose she's still looking for some out of context remarks to use.
if you are conservative i wouldn't so much bother with this book unless you have an open mind. i admit that i doubt i could get through a whole coulter or limbaugh book and i don't believe any truly rightwing people should subject themselves to this book. they will be hurt and will lash out, but toward franken instead of their leaders who deserve it. to open minded republicans with some sense of humor and democrats with a sense of humor this is a must have. if you don't believe it all look some of it up. it'll be fun. it is fun.
Rating:
Summary: What's Next?
Review: Many of the people dealt with are pure charlatans, and others are undisguised demagogues, and this is an intelligent, witty expose of them. In total, Franken lays bare the fact that there are people who will do anything to attract attention, without any regard for honesty. One of the most telling anecdotes is that of Dick Cheney, who has to pretend to have a sense of awe and patriotism when referring to Arlington National Cemetery, when he didn't have a clue as to what markers are placed over the graves. What a phony. This should not be dismissed as a Liberal/Conservative tome; it is an honest look at people in public life who are trying to grab attention through an undeserved podium. One has to be reminded of Lincoln's . . . you can't fool all of the people all of the time . . . and wonder when these people will be getting their due. The only deficiency in the book . . . what does one do about the problem of dishonesty in the media and in Government . . hopefully that will be another book by this very talented humorist.
Rating:
Summary: HILARIOUS!!!
Review: Many parts of this book are laugh out loud hilarous: For example, Franken's description of his confrontation with "Irish Ape Man" Sean Hannity and his trip to BJU (Bob Jones University). He exposes the methods Coulter, O'Reilly, and Hannity (among others) use to take information out of context (or if that doesn't work, just flat out lie) to make their point. O'Reilly in particular is exposed for being a phony going all the way back to his days as an anchor for the highly acclaimed news program "Inside Edition". I highly recommend this book, it's a great read.
Rating: 
Summary: Anger and the Angst filled Angryman
Review: Maximum of 1,000 words? About this book?
He is angry. He has been angry for years.
I can't take him seriously.
This book is the evidence that he could be the next person to walk into a fast food joint and open up with a, oh, wait, he is far to liberal to use a gun.
Rating:
Summary: ANGRY LIBERAL WITHOUT A CLUE.......NAMED STUART
Review: MAYBE OL' AL SHOULD COME UP W/ SOME MATERIAL OF HIS OWN INSTEAD OF TRYING TO BE COMICAL AND POLITICAL. WHERE ARE THE FACTS TO BACK UP YOUR INTOLERABLE STATEMENTS AND OPINIONS? DID THIS BOOK EVEN GET A ONCE OVER BY THE PUBLISHER? THIS GUY IS SO FAR INTO FANTASYLAND, YOU'LL ONLY MAKE IT 5 PAGES. WAS BETTER AS "STUART SMALLEY" REMEMBER STUART AL?
Rating:
Summary: Maybe some of the critical reviews should make attacks....
Review: Maybe some of the critical reviewers should make attacks based on facts. Calling someone a socialist, an extreme left wing elitist, or whatever other conservative drivel (I especially liked the review that managed to spell impotent and Eddie both wrong in the same sentence) doesn't make the case for why the book wasn't worth reading. Make the case based on facts. Say (if you dare) that the book misquoted people, took things out of contexts, or misled people-- none of which is true, but at least it would be a real argument. The truth, and the reason why this is the best book I've read in a long time, is that Al Franken's book exposes the right wing media pundits for what they are, lying, political hacks who have no problem misleading the public to advance their agenda. Unlike many other political books, this one is incredibly enjoyable because, besides being well-researched and factual, it's hillarious. Anyone who reads this and doesn't laugh out loud is either ignorant or brain-washed.
Rating:
Summary: wow one error!
Review: mcgregor_311 found an error, (well spinsanity did) and calls it hypocrisy. perhaps instead of reading the franklin lies website, which is strewn with innacuracies, mcgregor should read Al's book, or the entire spinsanity article, which praises the research in Al's book while pointing out the mistake. Spinsanity also notes Al quotes the Post article author correctly in another passage, and if you read the article itself it includes a laundry list of Clinton's anti-terror measures. anyone who read Lying Liars knows that Al writes that if he makes a mistake, he'll apologize for and correct it. I bet both appear in the paperback edition. he won't have to be goaded like Ann, who lies and misrepresents Al's book in her defense of it, or lie about lying, as bill o'reilly did. one error...which does nothing to weaken al's argument btw..if i may paraphrase Ann Coulter GOOD WORK CONSERVATIVES!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Compelling, classic Franken wit - on the facts!
Review: Message to Larissa Winstead: a book review is customarily done by someone who has ACTUALLY read the book, as opposed to simply knee-jerking opposition. It's called "informed dissent", and you might consider pursuing the concept further. Picking up where Franken's "Rush Limbaugh" piece had scratched the surface, "Lies" is a hilarious but fascinating - and, frankly, somewhat depressing - investigation of the political right's assault on both civility and fair play in America. There is unquestionably big money to be made in the conservative camp, and plenty of opportunity to demonize opponents and belittle issues in the pursuit of rather transparent (and often financially motivated) goals. Franken's dissections of hostility merchants like Coulter, Hannity, and O'Reilly (amongst others) are not only generally humorous and carefully constructed, but also backed up by the types of factual material these characters so easily sidestep in their own writings. As well, if the material dealing with Bush's Operation Ignore and the events leading up to 9/11 are even marginally accurate, the United States will have truly become a frightening place to live.
| 
