Rating: 
Summary: Funny and a Good Introduction to Liberal Politics
Review: I have always been of the liberal persuasion when it comes to politics so Mr. Franken didn't have far to go to convince me. This book reinforced my views 200%. Franken's witty and hilarious writing style even kept my interest piqued when I didn't have background knowledge on his topics. It was very refreshing to have someone point out the ease with which others can distort facts. Since reading "Lies . . ", I have found myself reviewing the source lists for all non-fiction books and re-evaluating facts presented just in case they were tinkered with. This book is an invaluable teaching tool on searching for truth even if you don't agree with Franken's political beliefs. However, after a few hundred pages, people who are not fully politically-minded (like myself), might find themselves searching for the end. I definitely got the point of the book pretty quickly and perhaps the last few chapters just didn't hold interesting enough subject matter because they were hard to get through. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to laugh and learn simultaneously. Hopefully you'll enjoy it at least as much as I did if not more.
Rating: 
Summary: SO FUNNY!
Review: I have always thought Al Franken was pretty funny but he has outdone himself here. He blows the lid off of FAUX news channel and all of the right wingers that lie. I was reading this book in a coffee shop and kept laughing so loudly and randomly that evryone kept glancing at me like I was crazy. I finally had to go home and finish reading because I couldn't stop laughing out loud. The chapter on Paul Wellstone is really very moving, too. Not to sound cheesy but it actually made me cry. Thats pretty impressive when a comedian has that much control over his readers, prompting moments of great joy and laughter as well as some really moving moments. WAY TO GO AL!
Rating:
Summary: Not just a work from a humorist
Review: I have been a fan of Franken's since work on the original SNL. While I enjoy his political satire, the true worth of this book is in the fact checking. It is simply amazing how many lies, distortions and sheer oversights the political right has gotten away with. The only bigger shame is that most people will write off this book as the work of a liberal humorist and pay no attention to the facts that Franken and his team of researchers unearthed.
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Summary: I am a life-long conservative and...this book is not all bad
Review: I have been a Republican all my life, and no doubt will continue to vote Republican til the day I die. The day Bush took over the White House from Clinton/Gore, although his election "win" will forever be debated, was one of the happiest days of my life. But I have to admit that what has occurred with the political commentary in this country and with Bush's eternal gaffes and flagrant ignorance of anything and everything, has got me a little concerned. I have been through enough of the gung-ho conservative anti-liberal, anti-Clinton books out there that do nothing but affirm what I already believe. But there is nothing new or informative or even entertaining in those books. They are just full of hate-filled, unsupported charges of murder conspiracies, body snatching, shoplifting, and stealing of cable tv signals. And that is why I bought this book - because it is something different. For the 3 or 4 thousand books out there written by the conservative bulldogs, there are only 6 or 7 books that present the opposing view, which suits me fine - I like being in the majority. But just to prevent my mind from going into permanent "ditto-head" paralysis, I picked up this book. And although I completely disagree with almost everything Franken has to say, I have to admit that he does make a good case that the commentators out there that claim to promote our conservative values are, in fact, making us all look like a bunch of babbling morons.
Rating:
Summary: The Left strikes back
Review: I have been an admirer of Franken for some time, so I went into this book with high expectations. He and his team of researchers met those expectations. His book seems very well researched, although I honestly did not bother to do any further research to check out his footnotes. His book is even funnier than Bushwacked. I sincerely hope his book and the Ivin's Dubose book begin the avalanche that results in the defeat of Dubya come November '04
Rating:
Summary: Finally, the left gets some guts.
Review: I have been impatiently waiting for a clear democratic voice to come out of the shadows and say something interesting regarding the right-wing shift that has held this country hostage in the years since 9/11. It is about time a talented writer like Mr. Franken comes along and honestly and directly approach the misinformation and, well, LIES of the conservative movement. There has never been a "liberal media," but there is obviously a large and well-funded conservative media working 24/7 in print and on television. This book addresses the distortions that the right-wing comes up with on a daily basis. It is also funny, full of heart, and best of all: it may just wake up a few democrats who have been hibernating for the last three years. It is more than a great book; it is an IMPORTANT book.
Rating:
Summary: Dismayed by the conservatives "reviewing" the book
Review: I have been through about half of the reviews of this book on this site, and I must say I am shocked by the lack of constructive criticism or even intelligent thought provided by conservatives who have chosen to post a review. Take, for example, this "sentence" from A reader in Cleveland, OH: "What Clinton is a warm, fuzzy feeling among some that they had a chance of besting us in various ways, including a reputation of weakness in national defense." Huh?Look, you and I can disagree about political ideology. That's ok. But instead of using vitriolic language and vulgar insults to bash this book and its author, cite some examples to show why the book and author are bad! What Mr. Franken does in this book is go beyond the name-calling and demogogery of the Right and actually tries to provide evidence to support his claims. What these reviewers demonstrate very clearly is the point Mr. Franken attempts to make in his book...namely that when confronted by facts that dispute their radical and unsubstaniated claims, the extreme right wing resorts to taunting and name-calling instead of intellectual rebuttal. If the only thing you can say about Al Franken is he's an unfunny, lying, America-hating liberal, then do us all a favor and keep your ugly thoughts to yourself. Way to go Al, this is a great book! Thanks!
Rating:
Summary: An excellent read
Review: I have been waiting for a book like this ever since October 2000, when I first started watching Fox "News". Though I do not agree with everything he says, and he does have his own biases (don't we all), Franken does an excellent job of refuting many of the extremist's arguments. O'Reilly's bubble really needed to be burst. Vicious propagandists like Hannity, Limbaugh and Coulter have to be shown for what they are. With impunity they encourage bigotry and violence against people they dislike. I am surprised that other's from the right are not embarrassed by them.
Rating:
Summary: Sharp, Witty and Perfect for Our Times
Review: I have begun to read this book at my local bookstore (my copy's on it's way), and I am glad to see that Franken's wit and style is as funny as his past political satire "Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations." If you are at all offended by razor sharp wit, the kind that's meant to cut off the opponent at the knees, then this book may not be for you. If you can recognize the fact that Franken treats his subjects on the Right in the same manner that they treat those on the Left (albeit with a sense of humor), then this is a book for you. If the Right continues to publish books like Coulter's "Treason" which deals angrily with her ideological opponents, then the Left surely must continue publishing books by Franken who not only can deftly counter claims made by the Right, but can do it with a sense of humor too. Disagree with him if you must, but try to do so honorably and with a sense of humor, not like the good people at certain news organizations. This is a book which will proudly be displayed in my collection (once it arrives).
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book - Funny, Factual and Intelligent
Review: I have enjoyed all of Al Franken's books. I just wish he would crank them out more often. I am ready for the next one. This book is somewhere in the middle of his other biggies. It is not as angry as "Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot" and not quite as funny as "Why Not Me"(which is hysterically funny). If you are going to call people on their lies, you had better be ready to back it up. Al does just that. I even checked a few of his references since he is such a stickler. You may not agree with all of his opinions, and his opinions are quite clear, but you can absolutely count on the veracity of the lies he has uncovered. By the way, note the number of reviews and the average rating of this book as compared to O'Liely's newest large print book. Hurry up with the next on Al, I'm waiting...
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