Kurtz and Franken

Howie Kurtz has a lengthy piece on Franken and his book today; it’s partly a summary of Franken’s charges and partly an interview of Franken (there’s little by way of addressing whether the charges have merit, which is a rather weak showing for a star media analyst). On balance, my fair opinion is that Kurtz’s piece is remarkably fair and balanced. Here’s my favorite tidbit:

Franken doesn’t merely denounce conservatives. He harasses them, provokes them, gets right up in their faces. He once called up National Review Editor Rich Lowry and challenged him to a fight in a parking garage. Lowry declined.

“Comedians who aren’t funny have to try to become political spokesmen — thus Al Franken’s new career,” Lowry said yesterday. “But if I said I was unhappy that such an ill-informed and unpleasant man is emerging as a Democratic Party spokesman, I’d be lying.”

All this time I thought that comedians who aren’t funny were called waiters. Also, I challenge anyone to watch the Stuart Smalley skit with Michael Jordan and not laugh.

AB