Rating: 
Summary: a lotta laughs, and a good lesson!
Review: I really like Al's alternate title - "Bearers of False Witness and the False Witness That They Bear" - because it brings home a point that underscores his whole diatribe: the current Administration and its propaganda mill are particularly despicable because they are so smugly self-righteous about their duplicity. I appreciated his deliberate hyperbole and frequent sarcasm, and found myself uncharacteristically cheering for his from-the-hip bravado, despite my aversion to such behavior among decision-makers. I found most chapters had enough humor to release the sense of outrage, with the exception of the Paul Wellstone story, which I ultimately felt deserved the serious treatment it was given. More than anything else I am grateful for the lesson learned, that it is so easy in this day and age to corroborate information that there is no need to take his or anyone else's word for anything. Case in point is the "frankenlies" website that was linked by a recent reviewer. I took the trouble to check it out - I mean REALLY check it out, and found in just a few clicks of the mouse that in many cases, their own sources discredit their arguments. I also took the trouble to check out a goodly number of Al's more disturbing factoids, such as the contemptible hypocrisy of the "No Child Left Behind" Act, and found them to be right on target. No wonder Bill O'Reilly turned off his microphone!
Rating: 
Summary: Some good points, but shrill and not terribly funny.
Review: I really liked Al Franken when he was funny. I also liked Woody Allen when he was funny. Problem is, neither of them are right now. Allen just lost it. Franken, sadly, decided to take on the mantle of Political Philosopher and Left-Wing Pundit. Unfortunately, he isn't all that up to the task and, in all honesty, it's a sad waste of his considerable skills as a comic.But, people buy his books in large numbers, perhaps out of thirst for a courageous liberal voice to stand up to the booming chorus from the right on conservative talk radio and an increasing number of cable news channels. That thirst is understandable. Right now, the drought of articulate, sensible politicians on the left is the worst I've ever seen. Sure, we've got our share of Democrat attack dogs (like Howard Dean), but if you've watched even Dean in pointed interviews, he collapses. Tim Russert turned Dean into mush in one recent appearance. There is no reason for this deficit. There are smart, articulate liberals out there, and on many issues, liberals hold the moral high ground. But, Franken just isn't the right man for the job. I'm not sure who is, but it's not him. Franken's book takes a chapter from the right-wing kooks he critiques. He is as selective in his facts and stories as Limbaugh, as defensive O'Reilly, as overbearing and kooky as Coulter. Granted, he can be funnier, at times, than all three, but not here. He's too busy pontificating than turning the witty phrase. He goes for the lowest common denominator for humor, sadly. The other thing he does is he fails to counter the most powerful conservative propaganda of all: That the left doesn't have a point, they don't have a plan, they don't have an alternative. I know this isn't true, but Franken all but proves me wrong. And the problem, I think, is that like so many liberals, he doesn't have the courage to actually say what he really believes. Why? Because the liberal point of view is in the minority. Always has been. Except for support for government programs that pump out money and jobs, the core liberal principals just aren't in sync with most Americans. And, as a result, many liberals have dropped them (Bill Clinton, the prime example--see, e.g., opposition to the death penalty, aggressive wealth re-allocation, opposition to prayer in school, aggressive equal rights programs), or don't speak about them. These are unpopular views, but some of them are just plain right. Sure, Franken effectively points out the self-proclaimed conservative spokespeople who play fast and loose--even pathologically, it seems, in some instances--with the facts. No surprise there. They are marginally trained windbags who are more entertainers than savants. And none of them are serious journalists. Is it any surprise that they'd get caught up in manufacturing a world that supports their ideology? But there is just as much stuff that the lefties manipulate and get wrong--with some intentional misrepresentation to boot. If you want a discharge of gas from the left as pungent and potent as that from the right, buy this book. If you want a chuckle at the expense of being mean-spirited and downright nasty at times, buy this book. But if you want someone who actually has a message, who won't stoop to the level of those he seeks to pillory, go elsewhere. Where? I sure as hell don't know right now, but if there's a liberal out there with a plan and the courage to talk about unpopular, but moral positions, speak now. Before it's too late.
Rating:
Summary: I am a member of the Young Republicans and I loved it
Review: I received an early copy of this book and I have ordered another copy to give as a gift to my Republican father. I recently had surgery and as a result I had to spend a month on bed rest. During this time I wathced a lot of cable T.V. I began to notice many of the same things Al Franken points out in his book. Both the right and the left have their falts, but Franken aptly nails the right on a lot of things. Many times I was laughing out loud while reading this book. It really is a great read! Everyone should lighten up a little and learn to think for themselves.
Rating:
Summary: 2 laughs a page and the facts to make you cry!
Review: I received this book and read it cover to cover in 2 days... I couldn't put it down. First of all, I was laughing harder than I've ever laughed for political satire, and I had at least two good laughs on every page. Secondly, Franken blows big gaping holes in the arguements and even the ideas of modern day neo-conservative icons such as Ann Coulter, Bill O'Reily, Bernie Goldberg, Sean Hannity and the rest of those Media Elite who are constantly screaming and griping about the Media Elite. Really, if every hard core republican would read this book, and check the facts, they would undoubtably at least have to abandon their party (if not their ideals). A good laugh for liberals, a good education for conservatives.
Rating:
Summary: Its hot in the kitchen
Review: I recently read this book and would suggest it to anyone with an open mind and just a little bit of a sense of humor. As my title suggests Fox news must not like the heat when its placed directly on them. Good book.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't call him Al, call him Karl Marx Jr.
Review: I recently saw Al Frankin on CNN introduced as "political satirist, Al Frankin." I'm sorry, saying Al Frankin is a political satirist is like calling Joe Millionaire a method actor. Al Frankin's selective amnesia as rendered him a shill for the Marxist in this country who has bought in to the rhetoric that democrats are good and republicans are evil. The true ignorance of the left ideology is that socialism would cure the anti-American sentiment throughout the world. Do you ignoramuses really want government issued health care with a side order of redistribution of land and wealth? Chase that with a flat tax of 80%! Talk about saturated fat! Well, keep feeding idiots like Frankin and voting for dangerous radicals like Hillary and you will see this great nation neutered to a point of us resembling the 3rd world. You see liberals won't stop until yogurt has more culture than America. Speaking of Clinton, can someone explain to me why he simply arrested the 6 terrorists who orchestrated the first World Trade Center bombings? He tried and incarcerated those poor misunderstood freedom fighters (heavy sarcasm) like they just robbed a taco stand. Surprise, Frankin doesn't address this, nor does he chide Clinton for not even visiting New York City after that first bombing. Some nice appreciation to a state he carried to get elected. But I digress. Perhaps if Clinton went after TERRORISM and not merely six TERRORISTS, September 11 may not have occurred. I guess Frankin's impartial research did not provide him with a moment of clarity.
Rating:
Summary: Fair and a Little Unbalanced
Review: I recently worked for the local paper here. The gentleman who handled the opinion/letters to the editor pages had his desk near me. One day I over heard him commenting about the letters he was receiving from conservative types in our area. He was really struck that so many couldn't seem to express their views without name calling and fowl language. From the reviews posted here, this seems to be a nation-wide phenomenon. Sometimes Mr. Franklin is a little over the top, but for the most part, this book is hilarious. In addition to being funny, he makes a lot of very true observations about those other guys. It's so nice to see other kinds of view points finally showing up in print. There seems to have been very little other than conservative view points published until recently. Now if we could have just one or two talk shows that are a little less conservative life would be really good.
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/ J p.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.
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