Rating:  Summary: You're Darn Right We're Mad Review: This book is as funny as it is anger inducing. All the Richard Clarke stuff is covered in "Operation Ignore." How the out going Clinton administration tried to tell the Bushies that terrorism was gonna be big on their to do list and how they promptly ignored it. Ann Coulter is in fact a nutcase. O'Liely is just a pathological liar. Who will even lie about where we grew up! And colmes is the second biggest joke on tv, right behind his meal ticket Hannity. It can't be a debate show if they don't actually talk to each other! A right wing friend of mine, who is currently working to get Bush reelected, said, "The hate is why you (The Democrats) will lose." I could only respond with, "The evil and the lying is why you (The evil and lying right wingers) will." And for the record Al Franken has gone into war zones to entertain the troops more then a few times. He's been to Iraq and Afganistan. Which is more times then Hannity, Coulter, O'Liely and Rush the Junkie combined. So take that you America hating right wingers.
Rating:  Summary: LAME.... Review: This book is basically one long Saturday Night Live political skit. I love Franken's humor and sarcasm. But, like a Saturday Night Live skit no one can honestly take this book serious. If they do, our nation is in serious trouble. One star for the clever political name calling and nonsense, and no stars for lack of research by Franken in order for anyone to actually take this serious.
Rating:  Summary: Al Franken is a hypocrite and a liar Review: This book is boring .... and is itself a lie ... and is mean-hearted and mean-spirited ... I'd say go back to SNL but they wouldn't take you back ... I borrowed the book... no way would I pay for it... and I suggest you do the same ... It is not worth your money....
Rating:  Summary: Where was this guy during 2000 and 2002? Review: This book is both hysterical and infuriating. Hysterical for Al Franken's wit, infuriating because of the truth he tells and that nobody who needs to read this book really will, or will take it seriously. His dissection of Wellstone's funeral and the circus surrounding it is both touching and frustrating, as is his analysis of the press coverage surrounding the Bush and Gore campaigns in 2000. It's worth buying the book for those passages alone. Franken's dissection of Ann Coulter is also great and screamingly funny. I particularly enjoyed the reviewer on this site who stated that *Franken* had brought political discourse in this country to a new low with this book.
Rating:  Summary: Right on, Al !! Review: This book is brilliant -- a breath of fresh air! The chapters detailing and exposing the lies of Ann Coulter, Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity are meticulously researched and well documented. The "Operation Chickenhawk" chapter and the comic book style "Supply-Side Jesus" offer up a healthy serving of hilarious (but deservedly biting) satire. The chapter about Paul Wellstone's funeral and how rabid right-wingers (with the aid and comfort of an inept mainstream media) used the Senator's tragic death as a means of pushing a conservative political agenda is both eye-opening and heartbreaking. Thus far, no one has stepped forward with any credible evidence to challenge or refute Franken's charges; indeed, the right wing has been shockingly silent about the specifics highlighted in this book. Why? Clearly because they have no defense when faced with the ugly truth. Please note how the right wing reviewers here can neither refer to, nor refute, any of the specific accusations that Franken levels against their heros; I mean, it doesn't take a genius to discern that they CLEARLY have not read the book! It's just more of the same old nasty & under-handed shenanigans from the cabal of lying liars on the right.... But, of course, if they were ever forced to play fair, they'd lose all the time.
Rating:  Summary: FACTS folks, Just the facts Review: This book is brilliant and thoroughly researched. Any negative reviews of this have to be from some very disturbed people who refuse to face truths when they are clearly placed before them. Franken employed 14 Harvard Grad students to help him do his research, which is amazingly well done. My only question is why aren't these facts and blatant Lies by politicians put into more newspapers for mass consumption? Instead we get J. Lo and Ben, the flavor of the week. Meanwhile, our country is facing HUGE deficits and a deceitful government. It's time we got our priorities straighted out. Hopefully whoever ends up running against Pres. Bush will have read this book.
Rating:  Summary: Please..... Review: This book is by far the most idiotic book ever written. Franken is just a blind follower of the liberal faith who must see it as a personal mission to destroy, no wait annihilate, all things conservative. This was my first attempt at reading this obvious idealouge, and it will definitely be my last. His obvious smear campaign against people who at least have morals is a real turn off. People who like Franken say he usually walks the fine line between satire and ideology based statements. I disagree, he is way beyond the satire line and is only into conservative bashing. Don't waste your time on this moron, I am really sorry I did.
Rating:  Summary: Absolutely dead on Review: This book is clearly for those who like their facts and a heaping helping of biting wit on the side. Franken uses the right's own attack-dog style (witness Fox's inane and laughable lawsuit) against them and he is unflinching. But Franken's weapon is humor instead of lies. The truth is always more fun anyway. Try getting a laugh out of Hannity's book. It's doubtful that any of these conservatives (the ones who rated this book a 1 star) have given this book anything but a cursory read, or flipped through it at all. But for those who have, I would challenge them to point out just a couple of the facts that Franken and his researchers got wrong. If, as they contend, most of it is fiction then finding one or two major factual errors shouldn't be too much of a problem.
Rating:  Summary: Well done, but flawed. Review: This book is considerably more scrupulously fact-checked than several on the opposite side of the aisle, most specifically those by Hannity and Coulter (Good lord! Isn't there some sort of legal penalty for unleashing that much untruth on such uncritical minds as her fold?). My problem wasn't with the factual (which I checked on Nexis/Lexis; pretty much every quote was verbatim and the facts check out). While I realize Al Franken's job is to entertain, I wasn't fond of some of the tone of voice. I think Joe Conason's book was a bit...well...classier. Yes, he's a comedian. Still, the opposition is so meanspirited and ugly that I find I'm particularly critical of that type of tone of voice. That said, I do not give four stars lightly. The Wellstone chapter alone was heartbreaking. Al, look me up and we can go flog some of the deserving.
Rating:  Summary: Can't find conservative response Review: This book is excellent in revealing the hypocrisy of the right, the laziness and pack mentality of mainstream journalism, and the lies of the Bush administration. But to be fair, I have been searching for an intelligent response to the book from the right-wing media that can refute the facts presented by TeamFranken. (The one-star Amazon reviewers don't count because they obviously didn't even read the book... HULLLOOO??) But I have found nothing substantial from web searches... Fox News, Washington Times, Weekly Standard, WSJ, and Rush Limbaugh are all silent. I did however find one book review from columnist Byron York of the National Review, but instead of rebutting the factual points, he just derides Al's humor and tone. Lame. If that is the best that the right can come up with to debunk this book, then Franken's research must have been pretty solid, even if you never bothered to verify Franken's footnotes (which I did). By the way, I think Borders and Barnes & Nobles both lean to the right too because at my local stores, they both put Al's book near the bottom of the Humor section while OReilly and Coulter are on the top of the Political Science section. What's up with that? Based on the books' content, the store manager should swap shelf positions.
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