Al Franken In Sorry State (Smoking Gun)

Smoking Gun ^

[Republican Red]

Comedian apologizes to Ashcroft for "imprudent attempt at satire" AUGUST 20--Comedian Al Franken last month wrote an apology letter to Attorney General John Ashcroft, admitting that he was not truthful when he previously sought Ashcroft's views on abstinence.

In June, Franken wrote to Ashcroft seeking the AG's story for "Savin' It," which the performer described as a book "about abstinence programs in our public schools." On its face, the letter (which you'll find below) reads like a joke, with Franken advising Ashcroft to "share a moment when you were tempted to have sex, but were able to overcome your urges through willpower and strength of character. Be funny!" Franken also asked, "Did a young woman ever think you were homosexual just because you wouldn't have sex with her? Be serious!"

Franken's missive, written on letterhead from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, claimed that he had already received abstinence stories from other prominent Republicans, including Condoleezza Rice and Senator Rick Santorum. However, in his July 11 apology, Franken admitted that he had not received those abstinence stories and called his solicitation to Ashcroft, "an imprudent attempt at satire."

The comedian also apologized for writing on Harvard letterhead: "My biggest regret is sending the letter on Shorenstein Center stationery. I can assure you that no one at the Shorenstein Center had knowledge of the letter before I sent it." Franken, who was a fellow at the Kennedy School this spring, added, "I am very embarrassed to have put them in this awkward and difficult position, and I ask you not to hold this against the Center, the Kennedy School, or Harvard in general."

While an embarrassment, Franken's Ashcroft miscue will probably only help him move more copies of his new book, "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right," scheduled for release this week. Franken was sued earlier this month by the Fox News Channel, which claims that his use of the term "fair and balanced" in the book's title infringes on the network's trademarked slogan.

[syriacus]

Is this the working title of your book?

LOL

I hadn't thought of that.

But, it would be a fitting (anti-)tribute for Franken, author of Rush Limbaugh is a big, fat, idiot.

If Franken can call Limbaugh an idiot, I guess I could call Franken mentally unbalanced.

[cricket]

Usually avoid anything with 'his' name on it; but just have to say that 'he' is a parasite.

AF attaches himself to Conservatives; lies about them to make a living; and while he attempts to make them 'fools'; AF only succeeds in the self-revelation of a fool.

'Nature abhorring a vacuum' may be the only reasonable justification for his being here. . .because 'genuine' parasites do not need an Alfranken messing up their gene pool.

[Trajan88]

I'm sure the patriot John Adams rolls in his grave when trash like Frankin drags Haaavad through the mud.

Trajan88

[<1/1,000,000th%]

I thought Al Franken died of a drug overdose?

[fightu4it]

Were Franken and Bill Clinton seperated at birth? They are so much alike they must be twins.

[rockrr]

Al Franken: Voted most likely to off himself by auto-erotic asphyxiation at a motel-six.

[MattAMiller]

What exactly was the joke here? Was it just some "let's laugh at the squares" sort of thing?

I know Franken has become a conservative whipping boy, but he can be a funny guy. I would have thought this juvenile stuff was beneath him.

[Greg Luzinski]

I'd call Franken more "clever" than "funny" (with obvious exceptions like the "Trading Places" gorilla scenes). I'm reading the book, and (despite my right-leaning politics), it's pretty good. To tell the truth, I don't know how Ann Coulter can defend herself against the examples he cites (remember that conservatives aid the Al Frankens when we act in ways we should not).

Anyhow, I'd like to think that anyone in a position as important as Ashcroft's would be clued-in enough to recognize the text of Franken's letter as obviously not serious.

[Mr. K]

In other words... He LIED..??

[Timesink]

You left out page two:

[bigghurtt]

is asfranken@hotmail.com his real address? I certainly hope so.

[AnAmericanMother]

We used to get REAL letters from crackpots at the court where I used to work. Often (but not necessarily) from prisoners, sometimes from unhinged amateur litigants.

One lady sued numerous public officials and the president of a local department store because her parents' house was condemned for an interstate back in 1950 (she was about 30 years too late to do anything about that). She sent us copies of many letters from elected officials and archbishops all over the country (she was a Catholic convert) and their polite but puzzled replies.

Finally one Christmas she sent us a card informing us that some Fathers up in New York state somewhere were saying a daily Mass for the souls of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division. The judge said he thought about writing her back and telling her we couldn't take gifts from litigants, but decided that "we needed all the praying we could get." So we never said anything about it. She eventually got tired and went away, IIRC.

[Timesink]

is asfranken@hotmail.com his real address? I certainly hope so.

Only one way to find out!

[Timesink]

Forget the hotmail address. Well, you can try it, but this one is so much nicer:

Franken, Al

Fellow Shorenstein Center

---

Building:	Taubman - 258	Office phone:	(617)495-8343
E-Mail Address:	al_franken@ksg.harvard.edu	FAX phone:	(617)495-8696

[bigghurtt]

why, thank you

[nutmeg]

FoxFan ping! (This is not about Fox News, but Franken has been in FNC news so much lately)

Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my FoxFan list. *Warning: This can be a high-volume ping list at times.

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

Note to Mr. Franken: You can be good looking and a jerk. Conversely, you can be a good person, but ugly...but you can't be an ugly jerk and get away with it. There just isn't that much slack to be had in the world.

[lainie]

Comedian Al Franken arrives to Hillary Clinton's
official book party for her memoir, 'Living
History' Monday, June 16, 2003, in New York.
(AP Photo/Tina Fineberg)

[Timesink]

Note to Mr. Franken: You can be good looking and a jerk. Conversely, you can be a good person, but ugly...but you can't be an ugly jerk and get away with it. There just isn't that much slack to be had in the world.

I dunno. If there's one thing we know about the Democratic Party mindset in the last quarter century, it's that they'll let you get away with just about anything as long as you swear fealty to The Party. And Al Franken has most assuredly done that. (Many people don't know that that by RAT standards, his politics are downright moderate; he's a card-carring member of the DLC. But he stands by, and fights for, The Big Giant Ass every waking moment, so they all worship him, even the far-left nutbags.)

That's what makes Al so strange, really; he's not a hard left guy, but he spends all his time acting like one. Someone with the politics of Joe Lieberman and the temper of the most radical Howard Dean worshipper ... it just doesn't compute.

[Timesink]

He needs an original idea, too. Seriously. Don Novello (aka Father Guido Sarducci) did this about twenty-five years ago; wrote goofy letters to all sorts of public figures, and then published the letters and their replies in a book. I remember that it was pretty funny too, unlike Al Franken...

That was The Lazlo Letters, right? A lot of people have done the same thing and published the results over the intervening years; there's even a Freeper who has a website devoted to his own Lazlo-like correspondence with various companies. But nobody's ever bested Novello, I don't think.