Franken Accuses Hume of "Obscene...Trivializing" of Troop Deaths

MRC ^ | Friday September 26, 2003 | BrentBaker

[fight_truth_decay]

On Sunday June 8th, 2003, C-SPAN's Book TV featuring Franken, O'Reilly and Molly Ivins; Franken confronted O'Reilly {FOXNews}about his lie that that he received the prestigious Peabody Award for his work as host of Inside Edition.

BUZZFLASH's interview (while promoting Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right) with Franken moved from O'Reilly to Hannity on his list of FoxNews media bias attacks back on June 12, 2003. Preceding his opinion of Hannity, Franken said this of the "right-wing media..right-wing bias.." their agenda is: "we're an adjunct of the Republican Party, and we're going push that agenda every day, and, as you say, brand these stories that help further the right-wing cause."

Franken: "If you watched Hannity and Colmes during the war, it was hilarious. Hannity would, every day, be saying that Democrats were undermining the President by criticizing the Commander in Chief with criticisms that were so either nonexistent or mild. Whereas, Hannity, if you went back and looked at what he was saying during Kosovo, was attacking Clinton in the harshest terms every day. Hannity deliberately meant to undermine Clinton by saying he's not following his advisors, we're running out of ammunition, he doesn't know what he's doing. He was allowing guests to come on and say this is the worst planned military operation in history, and he'd nod, and say, "Um-hmm."

Franken is admitted by BuzzFlash to be one of its' heroes.

[MEGoody]

"Franken's allegation, based on misquoting, distorting and misrepresenting what Hume actually said and meant."

This is the left's primary propoganda tool.

[Atlas Sneezed]

What Hume said was not mean, just stupid and deceptive.

The left distorts like that all the time. Responsible journalists and commentators should not need to.

[Clock King]

Just saw the History Channel's program on the Battle of the Bulge. Heaven forbid if America ever had to get into a real war with an intelligent enemy (probably won't happen for a least another 100 years). Our culture just wouldn't be able to handle it.

[Dan from Michigan]

Al Franken is a little bitch.

[tioga]

He is not even on my radar screen, just another book to laugh at as it sits at my local stores alongside the still unsold hillary tombs....

[tioga]

Oh, yeah, LOVE Britt Hume.....

[Old Sarge]

The Sheep have been given their orders.

Their bellies have been stroked since September 12th, and they've been lulled back to sleep.

They've been told to forget 9/11 ever happened, Bush is a Nazi/illegal Pres/drunken idiot, and Hollywood is more important to their happy lives.

Someone tell me, why do I keep doing the job I do?

[TomGuy]

Franken has a vendata against FoxNews for some reason.

He has confronted/accosted/accused Brian Kilmeade, Britt Hume, Sean Hannity, and Alan Colmes at different times in the last few months.

[Shermy]

Franken's media analysis is pretty pathetic.

Franken is a stooge, a mouthpiece.

He will be deployed more in 2004. Interesting way to get around campaign financing laws.

Also to be deployed is Michael Moore, demo money funding the movie, and timing, of the probable release of a film "9/11" just before the election.

[TADSLOS]

"I am about, at Christmas, to go on my fourth USO tour.

I'll bet he's a real headliner. I'm suprised and disgusted that the USO would even consider booking this nutjob.

[fight_truth_decay]

Because you are not THEM!

[Constitution Day]

STFU, you weenie.

[Al, not you personally]

[fight_truth_decay]

By the way that BussFlash/Franken interview transcript was here: http://www.buzzflash.com/interviews/03/06/12_franken.html

FoxNews should ask for royalities on Franken's book.

[INSENSITIVE GUY]

If it walks like a duck,quacks like a duck and looks like a duck,ITS A "DUCK'IN FRANKEN"!

[MortMan]

What Hume said was not mean, just stupid and deceptive.

I saw the segment in question, and I didn't find it either stupid or deceptive. Hume's point was that the mainstream media ceaselessly pronounces the deaths in Iraq as if whole battalions, brigades, and divisions were dying. For perspective, he contrasted the numbers with California's.

The quote doesn't look great when taken completely out of context, but was valid within his context, IMO.

[Tacis]

Hey, in defense of Franken, I'd like to see you even TALK after just snorting that much stuff.

[Cobra64]

These people are so givlomh shameless.

I stopped reading when I got to this. What the F is a "givlomh"? Sounds like a disease of some sort.

[Egregious Philbin]

"And this is, and then his evidence was there are about 6.6 homicides a day in California and we're losing only 1.7 soldiers a day in Iraq. Now what he's forgetting is there are 34 million people living in California and there are one point, and there are 140,000, so you're actually 60 times more likely to die if you're a soldier in Iraq.

Franken's point here is not refuted by this article.

[fight_truth_decay]

Any death is tragic..but when it suits the agenda, numbers are emphasized. That's the point.

One death is one too many deaths..from cancer/illness,drunken driving,homicides,suicides, etc. In war, deaths are expected to occur; but 'they' (people not numbers) did not die in vain. Rather, how many lives have they saved?