Al Franken on Today show

[spooky3]

Anyone else catch him? When asked why he thought Fox started the lawsuit if it was so obviously without merit, Al said O'Reilly was probably "in an infantile rage", standing over the lawyers while they wrote the personal attack part of the complaint. :-)

He'll be on Crossfire later today.

[papau]

1. Notice how sad Russert was reporting Bush not popular! :-)

very somber!

:-)

[heidiho]

2. He Was Terrific

can't wait for Crossfire. He and Janeane are our biggest heros right now in the media.

[Az]

3. Unfortunately the Letterhead incident is going to get spun up hard

Franken has a very insiteful political mind. His humor though sometimes seems a bit off balance. I always get the feeling he is following a book of instructions on how to do humor. The gaffe with the Letterhead is going to do damage to this book which is sad because he really peals O'Really and Hannity like a grape in it.

[mac56]

4. What's the letterhead incident?

nm

[Az]

5. Franken wrote a fake survey to a bunch of right wingnuts

He said he was writing a new book about sexual abstinance and wanted some stories of incidents where these wingers had really wanted to have sex but fought the urge. He wrote it on Harvard Letterhead stationary without them knowing about it. It came back in his face.

[DemLikr]

9. The stationery "scandal" is SO lame. Who cares?

My guess is Harvard demanded he write the apologies,so as to appear to be covering their asses.

But really, any means by which he can snooker these wingnuts is fine by me.

[Az]

11. Agreed but with a caveat

I love seeing the cons get it any way they can be got. But they are much better at manipulation than we ever will be. They will take this and spin it like crazy. You are going to hear about this case a lot in the next week. I agree it is nothing. But the politics of the right is about smoke and mirrors. They are going to blow this up big time.

[NashVegas]

12. I Wonder What They Write the Lampoon On

Al's little prank is straight along the lines of something the Lampoon would do, and who pays for that?

[dennis4868]

6. I AM MAD AT FRANKEN.....

Al Franken on the Today show this morning said that he is not necessarily against the war in Iraq. He said that that as events play out it will be clearer whether the war was the right thing to do. He said all of this after he said that Bush lied to get us in the war. Huh? Bush lies about the evidence for war and then he says the war may be justified? IS FRANKEN A DLCer? If so, he is as bad as all the other dems in congress!

[Az]

7. Yes, He is DLC

Even said so at the book deal where he threw down with O'Really.

[dennis4868]

8. well....

then reading his book would be a waste of time....right?

[Az]

10. No

The problem with the DLC is the tactics used by those that govern it. A lot of good liberals side with the DLC because they have been convinced that its the only way to win. There is a difference between someones tactics and their political positions.

The issue that the DLC creates is that by claiming to be trying to win more center voters by playing liberal candidates more to the center they eventually wind up with candidates that are truly more to the center. This is what happens when you do not stay true to yourself. You become true to something else. Not everyone has figured this out yet. The vast majority of DLCers are paniced that the Democratic party is losing ground and they are desperate to stop this. They do not realise that they are diluting their own party by these tactics.

Thus you have a liberal like Franken who sides with the DLC because he honestly wants to save the party. His positions are liberal but he sides with something that is not as liberal in the belief it will enable him to present his positions.

[ComerPerro]

19. Part of the problem

is that some people are afraid to be too harsh in criticism of Bush. If someone went on a talk show and ripped Clinton to shreds, everyone would laugh. But if someone goes on and tears Bush to pieces, they get eaten alive.

[linazelle]

13. Franken can get away with the letterhead scandal...

on the same grounds that he won the lawsuit--it was satirical. He even said during the interview that if read in the context of the book, it would be seen as a joke/satire.

The right wing is trying to make a big issue out of nothing--again. What else is new? It' not a big deal and takes nothing away from the book.

[Az]

15. Nothing new

There is not going to be any legal ramifications. Fox and the right will simply try to use this as a distraction and to smear Al. Not saying its right, just that is what they are going to do. Al handed them some ammo and they are going to go nutz with it. Al's own descency will keep him silent on the issue. You could see him struggling as Matt Laurer smacked him around with it. The right looks for anything a liberal is willing to feel guilty about and then beats them to death with it.

[Friar]

14. welcome spooky

:toast:

[spooky3]

18. Thanks, Friar!

[BuddhaGirl]

16. Go Al!

I love Al Franken...loved his smackdown of O'Reilly at the Book Expo. We have tickets to see him at UC Berkelely in October! :-)

[NYYFan]

17. Classic Franken

When he turned to the camera regarding his book going from 400 to 1st on Amazon, "THANKS FOX !"

[MoonAndSun]

20. Al rocks!!

:dem:

[tjdee]

21. Thanks Fox! Hahahahahahahahahaha.

Al Franken is awesome. In your face, O'Reilly!