Lies And the Lying Liars Who Tell Them (A Fair And Balanced Look at the Right) (Al Franken) - Dutton - 2003 - 379 pages

This is the landmark book that established Al Franken as a respected, liberal pundit.  Written at a time when liberals were largely blocked from access to radio and television media, Franken filled the gap with this best-selling book that exposed White-House liars George W. Bush and Dick Cheney as well as media liars including Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity and that hateful blonde person whose name will not appear on my website.

Franken also outlines the political scene in Minnesota when very popular senator Paul Wellstone (1944-2002) died in a tragic plane crash just three weeks before his contest for reelection versus Republican Norm Coleman.  It is ironic that Al Franken went on to participate in the establishment of Air America (progressive radio) and then moved back home to Minnesota to take Wellstone's senate seat away from Coleman in the 2008 election. 

Personally, I was outraged by the conduct of the Bush administration including preemptive war with Iraq, illegal wiretapping, extraordinary rendition, prisoner torture, outing of a CIA operative (Valerie Plame), etc., etc., etc.  Franken offered a ray of hope for the politics of liberalism and was very instrumental in the process that eventually brought the adults back to Congress and lifted Barack Obama to a landslide presidential victory in less than six years. [JAM 7/14/2009]