Rating: 
Summary: God Bless Al Franken for Being "Fair and Balanced"
Review: There's nothing more dangerous than an idea --- particularly when you only have one.Right now, there are a bunch of Americans who have reduced a richly complex philosophy called conservativism to one ugly idea. That is to win. Crush. Destroy. Al Franken, bless him, has stepped forward to take these so-called conservatives on, one by one. He starts with Ann Coulter, the leader of the pack. In case you don't watch cable, she's against liberals, Democrats, most of the media. They're all traitors, every last one of them. This is very difficult to prove, given that it's a crazy idea. So Coulter has to lie (or, to take the charitable view, be the most incompetent person ever to graduate from a good law school). She says it took the New York Times two days to put the death of blue-collar hero Dale Earnhardt on the front page. Nonsense, says Franken --- and he shows you a picture of the Times front page the day after Earnhardt died, with a big circle around the piece. Better, he exposes how Coulter confuses quotations with endorsements. (What Coulter does is like Bill Nobody writing in Bookreporter, "John Grisham is, for my money, the worst novelist alive," and you telling friends, "Bookreporter says Grisham sucks." Nothing of the kind. Unless you think quoting someone is endorsing him --- an idea taught in no journalism school I've ever heard of.) One good reason to buy this book: Franken holds Coulter to the standards of her profession. So far, she hasn't thanked him for that. Or commented at all. (But don't we breathlessly await her response?) Then there's Bill O'Reilly. Alone among mortals, he lives in the penthouse of the tower of truth. He never makes mistakes. With a bully like O'Reilly, refutation is easy. He said he won a prestigious journalism award. So Franken looked up the award and found that, no, he didn't. The show he was on did win another award, though --- the year after he left. Or his childhood home. O'Reilly has sworn it's Levittown, New York, a working class suburb. In fact, he grew up in nearby Westbury. (Source: O'Reilly's mom. Franken looked up an article that quoted her.) Confronted with the truth, O'Reilly lied again, insisting he grew up in "the Westbury section of Levittown." Alas, that doesn't exist. Summary won't do justice to Franken's demolition of Fox's Sean Hannity. So rush out to a bookstore and read pages 85-87 for his confrontation with Hannity, whose allegiance to Rush Limbaugh is so great that he makes himself look like a total idiot. This passage ends with a side-splitting "tribute" to Alan Colmes, Hannity's "liberal" sidekick, and all the odd jobs he does at Fox (in addition to being trounced by Hannity on a daily basis). Which brings me to the big difference between screamers like Coulter/O'Reilly and Saturday Night Live grads like Franken: Franken's book is downright funny. Here, you might almost want to make the case that "liberals" are funnier than "conservatives." Because unless you're really, really political, you'll giggle when you read that O'Reilly's new book is LIVING WITH HERPES and Coulter's is THE SLANDER DIET. And you'll smile knowingly at Franken's take on the Bush response to terrorism: "At the orange level, the second-highest level of alert, people are still encouraged to go to the mall. At the red level, the highest state of alert, the President suggests that you stay away from public places and instead shop online." Along the way, Franken makes some serious points. If the press is so liberal, why did it kick Gore around? What were the 18 months of Monicagate about? No, if the press has a bias, he says, it's for profits. He compares conservatives to four-year-olds who blindly love Mommy and think anyone who criticizes Mommy is bad; liberals, in comparison, "love America like grown-ups." He examines media coverage of Sen. Paul Wellstone's memorial service to show how Rush (of course), Peggy Noonan (surprised me) and Tucker Carlson (ditto) didn't do their homework and, with no apparent concern, repeated a libelously slanted account of that event. And he wonders why real conservatives who abhor the culture of hate in the media don't speak out against the Coulters and O'Reillys. The bad news: Along the way, Franken delivers a lot of stuff that's just...filler. A ten-page cartoon about "Supply Side Jesus" isn't funny. Neither is a ten-page one-act play. His encounter with Barbara Bush is six pages, but it also feels like ten. And I get a little tired of Franken squabbling with O'Reilly. On the other hand, that jawing made O'Reilly crazy. And it's probably the reason that Fox News sued Franken and his publisher for violating its "fair and balanced" trademark. As everybody now knows, Fox not only got laughed out of court, but the pre-publication publicity pushed Franken's book to #1 on Amazon.com and sent his publisher back to press. So much for O'Reilly never making a mistake. In our daily lives, when we run into someone who is always angry and insists on simple answers to complex questions and lies a lot, we tend to think, "Wow, this person is in a lot of pain. He/she is acting out all over the place. He/she needs help." In book publishing, when an editor runs into someone like that, he/she gets a fat book contract. Which means we can expect more and more "conservative" books that rant and rave but never quite tell us how we're going to get our jobs back or pay for our retirement or make peace in the Middle East. Which means that more and more "liberals" will be writing books like Franken's --- books that have some verifiable facts, books that offer the occasional solution, books that even have a bit of humor. How will the so-called conservatives respond? Take a wild guess: They'll go on the attack. Says Franken, "I don't want to make it personal, and Bill O'Reilly really has. He's gone after me and said I'm a smear artist. He has not pointed out one thing I've said that isn't true." Don't stay up waiting for O'Reilly to do that. But do catch Franken as he takes his victory-lap tour around the country. Because, whether you agree with him or not, at least he'll give you a laugh. And these days, we can sure use one. --- Reviewed by Jesse Kornbluth from [website]
Rating: 
Summary: anyone who gives this more than 1 star needs a beating
Review: There. I've already wasted enough of my precious time on this junk.
Rating:
Summary: More and more lies!!!
Review: These bookas about Liars are great although hear are a few quotes and lies Mr Franken missed. "One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to
Develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them.
That is our bottom line."
- President Clinton, Feb. 4, 1998 "If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is
clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq's weapons
of mass destruction program."
- President Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998 "Iraq is a long way from [the USA], but what happens there matters a
great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will
use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is
the greatest security threat we face."
- Madeline Albright, Feb 18, 1998 "He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten
times since 1983."
- Sandy Berger, Clinton National Security Adviser, Feb, 18, 1998 "[W]e urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with
the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if
appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond
effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of
mass destruction programs."
- Letter to President Clinton, signed by Sens. Carl Levin,
Tom Daschle, John Kerry, and others Oct. 9, 1998 "Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass
destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and
he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection
process."
- Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA), Dec. 16, 1998 "Hussein has ... chosen to spend his money on building weapons of mass
destruction and palaces for his cronies."
- Madeline Albright, Clinton Secretary of State, Nov. 10, 1999 "There is no doubt that ... Saddam Hussein has invigorated his weapons
programs. Reports indicate that biological, chemical and nuclear
programs continue apace and may be back to pre-Gulf War status. In
addition, Saddam continues to redefine delivery systems and is doubtless
using the cover of a licit missile program to develop longer-range
missiles that will threaten the United States and our allies."
- Letter to President Bush, Signed by Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL,)
and others, December 5, 2001 "We begin with the common belief that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and a
threat to the peace and stability of the region. He has ignored the
mandated of the United Nations and is building weapons of mass
destruction and the means of delivering them."
- Sen. Carl Levin (D, MI), Sept. 19, 2002 "We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical
weapons throughout his country."
- Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002 "Iraq's search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible
to deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as
Saddam is in power."
- Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002 "We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and
developing weapons of mass destruction."
- Sen. Ted Kennedy (D, MA), Sept. 27, 2002 "The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October of 1998. We are
confident that Saddam Hussein retains some stockpiles of chemical and
biological weapons, and that he has since embarked on a crash course to
build up his chemical and biological warfare capabilities. Intelligence
reports indicate that he is seeking nuclear weapons..."
- Sen. Robert Byrd (D, WV), Oct. 3, 2002 "I will be voting to give the President of the United States the
authority
to use force-- if necessary-- to disarm Saddam Hussein because I
believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his
hands is a real and grave threat to our security."
- Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Oct. 9, 2002 "There is unmistakable evidence that Saddam Hussein is working
aggressively to develop nuclear weapons and will likely have nuclear
weapons within the next five years ... We also should remember we have
always underestimated the progress Saddam has made in development of
weapons of mass destruction."
- Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D, WV), Oct 10, 2002 "He has systematically violated, over the course of the past 11 years,
every significant UN resolution that has demanded that he disarm and
destroy his chemical and biological weapons, and any nuclear capacity.
This he has refused to do" Rep.
- Henry Waxman (D, CA), Oct. 10, 2002 "In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports
show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and
biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his
nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to
terrorists, including al Qaeda members
.. It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will
continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical
warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons."
- Sen. Hillary Clinton (D, NY), Oct 10, 2002 "We are in possession of what I think to be compelling evidence that
Saddam Hussein has, and has had for a number of years, a developing
capacity for the production and storage of weapons of mass
destruction."
- Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL), Dec. 8, 2002 "Without question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal,
murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime ... He presents a
particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to
miscalculation ... And now he is miscalculating America's response to
his continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass
destruction... So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass
destruction is real ..."
- Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Jan. 23. 2003 well I guess there liars, if Franken is right they must be.
Rating:
Summary: Splotchy Al
Review: These reviews from the liberals getting their "unfiltered truth" from a guy like Al Franken are absolutely hilarious. Imagine being in an argument with an emotional lib who counters you with "But Al Franken says..." ROFLMAO! Anyone who caught Al Franken on C-SPAN could clearly see that he definitely needs to be de-splotched. He looked like a cross-eyed toad with diaper rash. But I heartily recommend this book for pathetic liberals. I can't help but feeling sorry for a group in such disarray. I'm looking forward to the 2004 election where the greatest President ever --George W. Bush-- spanks his Democrat rival. So show the proper respect Mr. Franken. It's not Bush - it's President Bush, got it?
Rating:
Summary: ZERO STARS...SAD NOT FUNNY
Review: They just don't get it on the left. Not everyone agrees with them! But they can't seem to Deal with it! They react like spoiled kids. Attacking anyone that disagrees. They think they are smarter than most, you can just hear the smug elitist attitude ringing loud and clear even in the other reviews...please Al Franken and his supporters are the people that no one wants to sit next to in school the annoying know it all(losers)that whine and blame others. Totaly twisted up with hate they sound paranoid and irrational. This Book is Sad not funny. As for the people he makes fun of and Fox news...keep an Open mind...why not give it a try? Get both sides and MAKE YOUR own decision don't get your information about something as important as politics and our society by someone as twisted as Al Franken.
Rating: 
Summary: a thoughtful and well-researched book!
Review: They Live! At least that is what I have been thinking the last three years, after witnessing the Bush Administration's corrupt dictatorial rule and the "news" networks' selective propaganda. OBEY. STAY ASLEEP. SUBMIT. CONSUME. MARRY AND REPRODUCE. I felt like I was Rowdy Roddy Piper in John Carpenter's classic 1988 movie. Only I and a few others had those neat special sunglasses which let us see the lies and fact-twisting being done by the USA's wealthy-crusading-Christian-fundamentalist leaders. Only I and a few others could see the rapid unraveling of our civil rights and liberties, our economic fairness, our environmental protections, and our aversion to imperialistic invasions.
But not any more! With "Lies and the Liars Who Tell Them," Mr. Franken and "TeamFranken" have essentially given readers a mind-awakening tool just like Roddy's ghoul-detecting sunglasses! This intelligently-written, insightful, well-researched, and fact-based book exposes the shrill propagandistic offal spewing from the media's and government's rich conservatives. And although the book is speckled throughout with a good dose of laugh-out-loud humor, it is mainly a sobering exposé of our country's takeover by the wealthiest 1 percent of our population and their malevolent intertwining of capitalism and fascism; their turning a blind eye to white collar crime and stockholder ripoffs while angrily shaking their fingers at drug users and welfare recipients; their focus on "moral" issues so they can divert our attention from the common person's economic woes and lack of health care; and their evangelical support of George W.'s blind determination to "finish" his dad's war. The stories about Ann Coulter, Bill O'Reilly, and Hannity and Colmes are side-splitting. The chapters on Karl Rove and Republican machinations and newspeak are frightening. And the chapter on the Bush Administration's trashing of Clinton's national security programs before September 11 is truly horrifying. Although most of the book is a delightful, fact-based, and well-deserved skewering of conservatives, Mr. Franken bravely does admit times he has been wrong, such as his attempt to get dirt on Bob Jones University. And the book is not perfect, as it includes a few stories which undermine TeamFranken's brilliance, such as the nasty, trivial, and rude confrontation of Mrs. Barbara Bush. This book is a MUST READ for every American. It is also a MUST READ for people who live outside the USA and are fearfully watching the Earth's giant bully its way around the planet.
Rating:
Summary: Conservatives should read this book
Review: They should, but they probably won't. Unfortuantely it seems that most pop-politics books written from a particular "side" of the left-right divide get read mostly by people who already agree with the premise. It would be nice if Coulterites would take an objective look at how many of her descriptions of articles and accounts are completely distorted or even made up. Then crawl over Franken's book with a microscope and find a single inaccurary if you can. No one has yet. It would be nice if people would base their assessment of a book on whether it is based on facts and fairness rather than whether it supports their ideology. But I'm afraid it won't happen. The few negative reviews of this book come from people who may or may not have read it, but are rejecting Franken's politics rather than the accuracy of his examples. (And for good reason ... they're accurate.) I have nothing but praise for his accurate research and his analysis of the right-wing propaganda machine and the dangers it poses to honest intellectual discourse. And I think if you're basing your assessment of it on your political persuasion, you would be well advised to consider whether a political persuasion that depends on misleading people for support is worth maintaining. Also recommended: "Big Lies" by Joe Conason and "What Liberal Media?" by Eric Alterman.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent.
Review: Thieves, liars, and cockroaches beware. Al has flicked the switch on the kitchen light. If you carefully read any of the "negative" reviews, you'll see a trend in their style. Vague accusations of unfairness, name calling, but no meat to back-up their complaints. Al has researched this material more than your cursory negative-reviewer has the time for. Raking up the slime and muck at the bottom of the political cesspool we call media and government in an amusing manner is his job and passion. The material is clearly there for all to read and refute if they can. Keep that in mind when reading this book and enjoy the laughs.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect Answer to Right-Wing Media Bias
Review: Think there is a liberal bias? Read this book and learn about how big a myth/lie this theory is. You'll also find out what airheads Ann Coulter, Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity really are. This is a first rate, hilarious and eye-opening book.
Rating:
Summary: Louie DePalma
Review: This Al Franken book reminded me in a most unususal way why I'm a Democrat. The blatant lies and distortions by numerous conservatives in positions of governmental and commercial power, all in an unashamed attempt to manipulate us smaller folk so they can have their way, must be fought with vigor and ridicule. It's likely someone cautioned Franken that, by soing so, he would be no better than those he has written about. And thinking this, I was reminded of a "Taxi" episode in which character Elaine Nardo (Marilu Henner) is given the ugliest of hairdos by an arrogant, high-pricing coiffeur (Ted Dansen). When she is about to dump a bowl of hairdressing goo on his head, she is stopped by Alex Rieger (Judd Hirsch) who says she would be stooping to Dansen's level and that she is better than that. But Louis DePalma (Danny DeVito) says he "aint better than nobody" and promptly upturns the bowl on Dansen. And that's how Franken comes across: he doesn't consider himself to better than anyone. He'd simply like everyone to know how they are being lied to from the other side. And he's done it. Thank you, Al.
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