Al Franken should apologize. [View All]

Al Franken should apologize.

Franken has been one of my favorites for a long time. His seminal book on Limbaugh was an oasis in a desert of right-wing lies. His moment of confrontation with O’Reilly was a watershed moment for those of us fed up with liberal TV wimps like Paul Begala and Alan Colmes. His radio show has provided thoughtful, entertaining, progressive radio to a larger audience.

But he has a serious weakness. As long as he is opposing a right-winger he’s fine. He demands the truth, he’s well equipped with the facts and almost always gets the better of it. However, when he has to deal with someone outside the right wing, who is nonetheless dissembling, he has a tendency to fall apart like a cheap suit.

Why did he support the invasion of Iraq? Because Colin Powell told him it was OK. Despite the fact that over and over we heard that “Tonight, the president will finally make the slam dunk case for war,” or “After Colin Powell presents at the UN, there will be no doubt about the necessity for war” and yet time after time no such compelling evidence was forthcoming; despite the fact that each time these road-to-Damascus events were supposed to convince and didn’t achieve that effect for tens of millions of skeptics around the world; despite the vast protests, despite the cogent inherency arguments regarding sectarianism and the option of containment should Saddam actually ever get a nuke; despite the politicization of the war by Rove (demanding the IWR vote BEFORE the 2002 election), despite all this, Franken went along with Bush because Powell showed up at the UN with: 1) cartoon drawings; 2) an audiotape of an irrelevant dialogue in Arabic; and 3) a vial of crack.

Fast forward to his radio show this year. He has the well-known media whore, Howard Fineman, on as a regular guest. As far as I know, he has never, ever made Fineman apologize (or even confronted him about it!) for his participation in the media scandal that was the 2000 presidential campaign.

This week Wesley Clark was on and claimed he had opposed the IWR from the git-go. I know this statement will start a tangential thread. I don’t want to make this a Clark thread. I like General Clark. I would support him if he were the nominee, but I think that claim is dubious at best.

My point is that Franken gullibly accepted Clark’s self-characterization as always being anti-war at face value with plenty of evidence to the contrary:

http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=1839

But the previous examples are merely to set the stage for what is really a gross public disservice: his interview today with Joe Klein. It was awful. Klein is well known as an outrageous media whore. For example, see Media Matters:

http://mediamatters.org/items/200604120012

He is currently on the talk-show circuit pimping his new book, hence the Franken appearance. His book is based on a big lie. The lie is that Dem candidates lack “authenticity,” and that their major problem is their own respective characters. Whatever problems some recent candidates have had are absolutely dwarfed by the unethical, spinning, lying coverage they get from MSM reporters and pundits.

Bob Somerby catches Klein deceiving to sell books and satisfy his revisionist agenda:

http://dailyhowler.com/

http://dailyhowler.com/dh050306.shtml

http://dailyhowler.com/dh050206.shtml

http://dailyhowler.com/dh050106.shtml

Klein was all over the “authentic” thing about Gore and Kerry, completely ignoring the overwhelming force that was the MSM in 2000, with constant spinning and lying against Gore, while worshipping McCain and then giving Bush favorable treatment after McCain got out. Not to mention the acquiescence of the MSM to the Swift-Boating of Kerry in 2004. A totally disingenuous presentation. When Gore wore cowboy boots he was searching for an identity, when Bush did it, he looked natural. That’s illustrative of the kind of crap Klein was involved in back in the day. See dailyhowler.com archives for numerous details. Just search "Joe Klein."

Franken gave Klein his “props” for accurate coverage of the Wellstone memorial. IMO, that’s like praising a rapist for getting good grades in high school. It’s a question of proportionality. Klein has participated (and continues) in a media process that has led us to a falsely-inaugurated president, a war of choice with untold suffering, a neglect of our crisis priorities and a low-point in American power and prestige at a point when real American leadership is vital to the survival of civilization. Franken gave him a pass. He should apologize to us all.