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Al Franken's Backup Plan James Hirsen
THE LEFT COAST
REPORT Headlines (Scroll down for complete stories): 1. Al Franken's Backup Plan Oh, the many faces of Al Franken. The guy has visited and entertained the troops and deserves mega-credit for that. But ever since he entered the world of politics, Franken has become caustic, cranky, and generally unfunny.
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His much-touted talk-radio career is currently on life support. Air America Radio is close to bankruptcy and recently had to endure the sordid publicity surrounding a Bronx charity that improperly lent money to the radio network. The New York City Department of Investigation discovered that the Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club had transferred $875,000 to Air America in the period leading up to the network's launch in March 2004. The charity recently had to pay the city back $625,000 ($250,000 the charity allegedly misused and $375,000 in overpayments). Investigation into the matter continues and more shoes may drop. Meanwhile Franken is entering the political arena and the movie-making one as well. He has set up a political action committee and established residency to run for the U.S. Senate in Minnesota. He also has a documentary, "Al Franken: God Spoke," which has been released just in time for the mid-term election campaign. The movie starts out with a scene that invokes the film's name, with Franken dressed up as Moses and letting viewers know that he's on a mission from God.
The best movie moments are from Franken's "Saturday Night Live" days and his standup routines. But the bulk of the film is all about Al — Al as a guest on cable, Al at a beltway party interacting with Republicans, Al promoting his book, Al hyping Air America, and Al engaged in various behind-the-scenes rants.
The problem is, though, Al doesn't wear very well. The same qualities that he claims to abhor in his right-wing foes are displayed throughout the flick. The Left Coast Report notes that the stubborn disregard for facts, fondness for nasty personal attacks, and endless supply of whiny-voiced complaints makes "Al Franken: God Spoke" a must-skip movie. 2. Bill Clinton's Hit and Miss Bill Clinton may have erupted in anger on "Fox News Sunday" when questioned about his administration's pursuit of bin Laden, or lack thereof. But there's typically not a whole lot of questioning when it comes to the former president's pursuits of the amorous kind. Ashton Kutcher, star voice of the animated "Open Season" and co-star of "The Guardian," told "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno about an unpleasant meeting he once had with Clinton. Evidently, Kutcher and his wife, actress Demi Moore, had dinner with the former commander in cheat. According to Kutcher, Clinton ignored him. "I met Bill Clinton once but he didn't really talk," Kutcher said. Kutcher went on to explain that Bill was too busy. "He was hitting on my wife."
Guess it makes sense. Moore was, after all, the star of "Indecent Proposal." 3. Susan Sarandon on ‘Good Republicans' In a recent interview on the TV-Now Web site, Susan Sarandon sent shock waves across Tinseltown. It probably had Barbra Streisand running to her therapist. And George Clooney and Michael Moore likely needed smelling salts. Sarandon said, "There are good Republicans. The world is not just black and white. There are people who really believe what they believe. They're trying to make the world a better place. They might be called Republicans." Sounds like the lyrics to a song. Thanks, Susan. That showed a lot of class. The Left Coast Report points out that there are good Democrats, too, like Harry Truman, Zell Miller, and Joe Lieberman, for example. And good reformed Democrats like Phil Gramm, Bill Bennett, and Ronald Reagan. 4. Chavez the Devil Makes Headlines What does it mean when the devil keeps getting media exposure? Ruthless Venezuelan dictator and Lucifer look-alike Hugo Chavez spoke of the devil when addressing the crowd at the U.N. "Yesterday, the devil came here," Chavez intoned, apparently familiar with the horned one's smell. Reverend Jerry Falwell also brought up Hades most famous when talking about presidential politics. He acknowledged saying that if Hillary Rodham Clinton is the Democrats' 2008 presidential nominee, it would motivate conservative Christians to oppose her more than if the devil himself was running. The Left Coast Report hears that Zogby's latest Iowa and New Hampshire numbers place Hillary ahead of Satan but only by the margin of error. 5. Bob Woodward, ‘Kitty Kelley of the Beltway' In this journalism professor's eyes, Bob Woodward is no journalist. He appears to have given up that profession a long time ago in favor of selling books. Let's drop the pretense and call him what he is, the "Kitty Kelley of the Beltway." If you doubt his tabloid tendencies, look at when and how he makes his disclosures. Journalistic ethics dictate that a reporter who is in possession of vital information that could potentially affect the policy direction of the nation should disclose the material in a timely manner. Woodward evidently lives by a different code. When it comes to guarding secrets, the guy has quite a track record. One of Woodward's previous books, "Veil," relied on a deathbed interview with former CIA Director William Casey. Woodward claimed to have had a lengthy interview with Casey, who was in a hospital and reportedly at times in a comatose state. The conversation purportedly yielded the equivalent of a last-minute confession, which became the basis of many of the lurid claims that Woodward made in his book. Information obtained by Woodward from the former CIA director, if true, would have been critical for the public to have access to. Instead, Woodward withheld the story until, you guessed it, the release date of his book. Publication dates are of utmost importance in Woodward's literary career. He hawks his books with the media savvy of Madonna and the paparazzi accommodations of Paris Hilton.
Woodward's itinerary for his latest tome is a perfect example. He took over "60 Minutes," got two spots on the "Today" show, snagged segments of "NBC Nightly News," landed limelight time on "Larry King Live," garnered "ABC World News Tonight" coverage and got face time with Charlie Rose. I suppose next he'll pop up on "Dancing with the Stars." At the same time, Newsweek is serving up a cover story and the Washington Post is providing teaser headlines, enticing excerpts and blockbuster come-ons. No surprise that Simon & Schuster pushed the release date up by two days and cranked out 750,000 books for the first printing. Woodward received White House assistance for his first two books on the Bush administration, "Bush at War" and "Plan of Attack," and was criticized for being too Bush-friendly, an unforgivable sin in the current mainstream media establishment. Now Woodward has written a hit piece, "State of Denial: Bush at War, Part III," and released it in time to have an impact on the midterm elections, acceptable penance for Watergate's prodigal son and for getting his name restored to the beltway party A-list. Predictably, the Democrats are jumping for joy over the Woodward book. Senate Democrats have been repeating the title as if it were an incantation. And House Speaker wannabe Nancy Pelosi suggested, four times to the press, that President Bush was "in denial." What's the so-called denial all about? Well, the main focus of the 500-page book is that former White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card, then-Secretary of State Colin Powell, Powell successor Condoleezza Rice, National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley, Senior White House adviser Michael Gerson, first lady Laura Bush, and even the White House chef and Barney the dog wanted Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to be fired. In addition, Woodward tells of secret White House visits by Henry Kissinger. In an appearance on "60 Minutes," Woodward revealed Kissinger's advice regarding Iraq: "Victory is the only meaningful exit strategy." That sounds almost identical to what we've heard all along from the Bush administration. It may be terse, tough, and to the point, but it's no state of denial. Editor's Notes:
The Left Coast Report is put together by James L. Hirsen and the staff of NewsMax — The Left Coast Report Archives Get your FREE copy of James Hirsen's new book 'Hollywood Nation' — Click Here Now.
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