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Franken dishes out satire Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/reviews/2003-08-24-franken-review_x.htmhttp://www.usatoday.com/life/books/reviews/2003-08-24-franken-review_x.htm
Franken liberally dishes out satire, politics in 'Lies'
By Bob Minzesheimer, USA TODAY
In the spring, two best-selling authors, liberal satirist Al Franken and Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly, traded insults at the usually staid Book-Expo America booksellers convention. O'Reilly was livid at the cover of Franken's forthcoming book: Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right.
The giant cover displayed at the convention included "an unflattering picture of O'Reilly looking splotchy and ill-tempered." That's Franken's description from the book, perhaps the first time an event to promote a book became part of the book. (Related item: Read an excerpt from Lies)
Lies was scheduled to be published late next month, but then Fox filed a lawsuit citing Franken's use of its trademarked slogan: "Fair and Balanced."
Friday, a federal judge rejected Fox's request for an injunction and called it "wholly without merit, both factually and legally." Franken's publisher, recognizing a publicity windfall, is rushing the book into stores a month early.
Liberals should love it. Conservatives may dismiss it as the rantings of a man whose acknowledgments thank Al Gore: "A good man. A funny man. My friend."
Others may find Franken, jokes and all, scoring direct hits on distortions of the conservative media, but question the author's own politics.
The most interesting part is joke-free: a detailed, emotional description of a memorial service for Sen. Paul Wellstone, D.-Minn., who died in a plane crash while campaigning last year.
Franken contrasts what he saw with what was widely denounced as a partisan rally: "Once the right wing had created its myth about what had happened, it became a lot easier to report the distortion than to report the truth. A journalist would just have to read a couple of op-ed pieces and watch the clips on TV, and he'd have his story. That's a lot easier than watching the tape of an emotionally wrenching four-hour memorial service or talking to people who were actually there."
He also writes, "I wish with all my heart that our president wasn't a liar, or if he were, that he was more like President Clinton. Bush lies about important things. Like the economy, his tax cuts, education or reasons for going to war."
Citing his research team (14 Harvard students), Franken boasts, "You can rest assured that almost every fact in this book is correct. Either that, or it's a joke."
But his jokes and facts are more likely to entertain readers who share his politics than they are to change minds. He's too much of a partisan to do that. He enjoys goading his targets, if only for new material.
As for Fox's lawsuit, network officials say they're considering their options. I'm sure Franken is hoping they appeal.
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