Wild Man Franken Assaults Dean Critic

The Democratic Party's official talk radio host got violent yesterday in an altercation he described as an effort to protect free speech.

Attending a Howard Dean rally in New Hampshire, unfunny funnyman Al Franken physically assaulted a heckler in the crowd, wrestling him to the ground in a bid to silence him.

"I got down low and took his legs out," Franken boasted to the New York Post afterward.

The altercation was witnessed by NBC Washington bureau chief Tim Russert, who called Franken's antics "unbelievable."

"One of the Lyndon LaRouche guys got up and started screaming and yelling," Russert told radioman Don Imus Tuesday morning.

"The press guy for Dean tried to grab onto him and remove him and he couldn't do it. All of a sudden, Al Franken jumped out of the media gallery, ran down and grabbed this guy on the leg and started wrestling him to the ground.

"It was unbelievable. He was really into it," the NBC News star said.

Missing the irony of his use of violence to silence a heckler, Franken explained, "I'm neutral in this race but I'm for freedom of speech, which means people should be able to assemble and speak without being shouted down."

The volatile comic is well known as a troublemaker in media circles. At last year's Washington Correspondents Dinner, he stormed up to a table where Fox News star Alan Colmes was seated and verbally berated him for not being liberal enough.

Colmes' Fox News colleague Brian Kilmeade interceded in a bid to get Franken to cease and desist, but the confrontation only grew more tense.

"I thought we were going to come to blows," Kilmeade later said.

After one guest shot on "Hannity & Colmes," Franken continued to harrangue Sean Hannity after the segment ended, following the conservative talker down the hall to his office. Hannity later told his radio audience that he had to call security to have Franken removed from the building.

Last month the combative comedian confirmed that he'll anchor a liberal talk radio network bankrolled by wealthy Democratic Party donors. His debut was set for next month, but it's not clear how party fat cats will react to the latest Franken imbroglio.

Franken's unidentified victim has not yet said whether he'll press charges against the former "Saturday Night Live" star.

Editor's note:
Ed Asner brags about getting Rush Limbaugh and vows to nail Hannity next. Get the full story - Click Here!

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