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.
Franken is dumber than a good quality rock BUT Hume was being quite deceptive, equating geography (in California) with population (our troops). To say that our troops face less risk in Iraq than Californians do at home trivializes what our soldiers are up against, and what they do on a daily basis, and is unworthy of ANY serious news organization.