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Centuries ago the Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu observed that warriors should "keep [their] friends close, but [their] enemies closer." Humorist and talk show host Al Franken has followed that advice all the way to the top of the bestseller lists, from the publication of his first book to his latest work of political humor, THE TRUTH (with jokes).
Franken, a comedian known for his stint on "Saturday Night Live," entered the political fray with the publication of RUSH LIMBAUGH IS A BIG FAT IDIOT. In a media market clogged with conservatives, the book established Franken as one of the few liberal political commentators with national credentials. His next book, LIES AND THE LYING LIARS WHO TELL THEM, received two unexpected boosts from unlikely sources on its way to becoming a national bestseller. First, during a public appearance promoting LIARS at Book Expo America in Los Angeles, Franken appeared on a panel with political columnist Mollie Ivins and FOX News's Bill O'Reilly. Franken used several anecdotes from his forthcoming work to skewer O'Reilly, who rose to the bait and responded with boorish behavior. The performance was broadcast live and repeated for months on C-SPAN, clearly whetting the public appetite for Franken's book. Then, as LIARS was nearing its release date, FOX News went to court to stop its publication. The lawsuit was quickly dismissed and essentially laughed out of court, but the publicity was money in the bank for Franken.
Franken is now the star of the Air America radio network, a liberal alternative to right-wing talk radio. He also appears to be contemplating a run for the United States Senate from his home state of Minnesota in 2008. Franken hopes to reclaim the seat of one of his political heroes, the late Paul Wellstone, killed in an airplane crash in 2002 while campaigning for re-election. THE TRUTH is a collection of material from Franken's radio show and from his publicly stated political philosophy.
Like his conservative counterparts, Franken has hit upon a method for publishing political books that is the closest thing to a money-printing machine known to mankind. The O'Reillys, Hannitys and Coulters of the world seem to come out with an annual book that is simply a compilation of their on-air rants and political tirades. Obviously, based on the sales of each of these works, there is an audience willing to digest this material in its written form. Franken takes the same tactic in his book, presenting material familiar to any listener of his daily Air America show, but with one major difference: Franken is funny. Conservatives are slightly more aggressive and bitter in their writing. While Franken is bitter in his criticism of current government policies, he maintains a sense of humor throughout that makes the agony of current events somehow endurable.
Reading THE TRUTH reminds one of Dickens's A CHRISTMAS CAROL, as Franken views the world from the ghosts of politics past, present and future. The past takes us back one year to the presidential election of 2004 and its immediate aftermath. It is hard to believe that it was only one year ago that George Bush, re-elected by 51% of the electorate, claimed a mandate for his administration. Franken and other political observers denigrated this claim, and events of the past year have borne out that view. Chapters 1 through 8 discuss the election of 2004 and how the Republicans won, not by hook or by crook, but by "Fear, Smear and Queers."
In the present, Franken reminds the reader of how quickly things have fallen apart. The demise of social security reform, the burgeoning scandals of Jack Abramoff and Tom DeLay, the abysmal political posturing surrounding Terry Schiavo, and --- perhaps most tragically --- the growing quagmire that is Iraq, all come under Franken's scrutiny. While it is difficult to look at these issues in a humorous vein, there are several sly and entertaining digressions. In discussing the figures cited in Bush's social security plan, Franken notes, "In order to get that number, they had to assume that people would live to an average age of 150, but still retire at 67. That's an eighty-three year retirement. They're never gonna get that without stem cell research."
Finally, in book three of THE TRUTH, we learn how liberals regain power. The information comes to us in a letter written in October 2015 to Franken's three grandchildren --- Barack, Hillary and Joe III. Having begun this review with a Chinese proverb, we end it with a Yiddish proverb: "From your lips to God's ears." Al, I hope and pray you are correct and, perhaps most importantly, that you never lose your sense of humor or your passion for justice.
--- Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman
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