Nearly a year after the presidential election of 2004, Al Franken is still checking facts, exposing lies, and trying to clear the record as he sees it. Sneering at President Bush's declaration of a mandate after a two-and-a-half percent victory, he deconstructs Bush's 2004 platform of "fear, smear, and queers," and explains how the president has done some flip-flopping of his own. He offers comment on well-known stories, including the Terri Schiavo case, and some more obscure, such as reports of forced prostitution, indentured servitude, and squalid conditions at clothing factories in Saipan (which is part of the American Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands). Franken focuses on Tom DeLay's connection to the territory and his efforts to prevent bills from being passed that would have required Saipan to follow U.S. labor laws. Iraq, too, is discussed, from its planning stages to the huge sum of money currently unaccounted for, including $8.8 billion missing from the Coalition Provisional Authority's coffers.

On the home front, Franken covers President Bush's attempt at Social Security reform, explaining how they came up with the projected shortfall figure of $11 trillion. For one thing, they adjusted life expectancy to 150 years, while leaving the retirement age at 67: "That's an eighty-three-year retirement. They're never gonna get to that without stem cell research." He also takes some wickedly funny swipes at Karl Rove, lobbyist Jack Abramoff, pundits and hosts such as Rush Limbaugh, Tim Russert, and Sean Hannity, and, of course, President Bush. The Truth succeeds in providing ammunition to liberals and others dissatisfied with the current power base in Washington, D.C.--only this time (with jokes). --Shawn Carkonen

An Exclusive Video for The Truth (with jokes) from Al Franken

We try to keep things civil in our customer review section, but Al Franken, who apparently trained at the Saturday Night Live school of conflict mediation, didn't get the message in his exclusive video for his book The Truth (with Jokes): see high bandwidth and low bandwidth versions.

Al Franken’s landmark bestseller, Lies (And the Lying Liars Who Tell Them): A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right, was praised as a “bitterly funny assault” (The New York Times) that rang “with the moral clarity of an angel’s trumpet” (The Associated Press). Now, this master of political humor strikes again with a powerful and provocative message for all of us.

In these pages, Al reveals the alarming story of how:
* Bush (barely) beat Kerry with his campaign of “fear, smear, and queers,” and then claimed a nonexistent mandate.
* “Casino Jack”Abramoff, the Republicans’ nearest and dearest friend, made millions of dollars off of the unspeakable misery of the poor and the powerless. And, also, Native Americans.
* The administration successfully implemented its strategy to destroy America’s credibility and goodwill around the world.

Complete with new material for this paperback edition, The Truth (with jokes) is more than just entertaining, intelligent, and insightful. It is at once prescient in its analysis of right-wing mendacity and incompetence, and inspiring in its vision of a better tomorrow for all Americans (except Jack Abramoff). BACKCOVER: “Devastating…The Truth keeps its promise to be funny about extremely unfunny matters. It matches Lies in wit, and its subjects are tougher. The gags have bite. . . .The book stays lively even when it dissects President Bush’s views on Social Security . . .And it is effectively leavened with bits of dialogue, many of them all too real.”
—The New York Times

“Subtle, laugh-or-cry-out-loud and ultimately devastating . . .The Truth (with jokes) is guaranteed to rile the right again with its forensic lasering of Republican skullduggery and media mendacity, laced with sharp humor. . . . [Al Franken] is the voice the American left has been waiting for.”
—The Guardian (London)

Al Franken's books are generally wonderful. They're funny, informative and insightful.

This one also happens to be devastating.

It's a chronicle of George W. Bush's 2004 re-election campaign, and some of the lower lights of the Republican party during the early part of that term, including players in the campaign in Iraq.

I consider myself a conservative (though I'm really more of a libertarian), but that doesn't mean that I excuse incompetence, dishonesty or corruption from fellow conservatives. Those things are bad regardless of what side of the aisle they come from, and Franken does a masterful job of showing just what jerks some on the right have been.

Recently I read (and enjoyed) my first Ann Coulter book. I think it's important for people to consider all kinds of views, perhaps especially those that they are disinclined to agree with; we ought to challenge ourselves, and our beliefs. Both Coulter and Franken present their sides well, and with biting humor, and there is no reason that a thoughtful person cannot enjoy both. That said, Franken is the better of the two -- he's smarter, funnier, better equipped with research, and (I am convinced) more honest. His writings have the unmistakeable ring of truth to them.

I was so impressed, in fact, with Franken's writing (and I've been impressed before, with his early works), that it inspired me to make my first-ever political contribution, to his Senate campaign in Minnesota.

If I must come up with something negative to say about this book, to "balance out" my review, it might be that the humor in this book can only carry a reader so far. At times, the events that Franken relates are so disgusting that they seriously made me feel sick. Although, maybe that is actually this book's greatest strength. This isn't just humor writing you can smile at, put down and then forget. Franken's book shows how broken our system is: very, very broken. And while I don't think there are any easy answers, it's clear that we Americans need a fundamental regime change. Democrats may prove no better than the Republicans they replace, but they cannot be any worse.

Maybe someday, assuming my small donation is enough to carry the day for Franken in Minnesota, some conservative pundit will be able to write a blistering expose on Franken's misdeeds in office. I hope not, but am fully sure that, whatever may come to light, it cannot be worse than the disgusting saga aired out by Franken in The Truth (with jokes). This is a wonderful book, because it makes us laugh, makes us ill with disgust, and calls us to necessary action.

That is the truth, no joke.

One of the people at my work brought two unread copies of this into work yesterday. Some of the jokes were funny, but the distortions were never ending. I really wonder if tripe like this makes any money? Is there a web site like IMBD for books where you can look at the gross numbers?

Great book!!!!!!!!

Desperately waiting for his next upcoming expose of Republicans:

TAX CHEATING AND THE CHEATING CHEATERS WHO MAKE ALL THE REST OF US PAY MORE.

Go, Al, go!!!!!!!!

Al Franken the Truth with Jokes
Although funny in spots, and often ironic!, this book may make you cry. It describes exactly how we were sold a phony war and a phony candidate in 2000 and 2004...and numerous other Republican and evil agenda goings-on behind the scenes to TWIST public opinion in a particular direction. This book is an extremely valuable must-read. --Wally

Al Franken, whom I've loved since Saturday Night Live's Dailey Affirmation with Stuart Smalley, is brilliant in this book. I've been listening to the audio book, and I am consistently surprised and confirmed in where I stand politically...I am basically disgusted with politics and the false webs politicians weave. He tells lies about liars which I fully support. He tells truths about these liars, too, which, is not in his political interest. He also points out non-partisan view-points, which every Obama or McCain fan can appreciate. READ THIS BOOK!