Many people think that Limbaugh and his radio and television commentaries have received a free pass for far too long. . . . Limbaugh, however, is not the only politician who gets his facts checked here. . . . In 1994, Franken points out, Newt Gingrich claimed that 800 babies a year were being left in dumpsters in Washington D.C. He was only 794 off. One hysterical chapter has Ollie North leading a platoon of guys who never actually made it to Vietnam through the rice paddies. That would be Phil Gramm (deferments), George Will (deferments), Clarence Thomas (4-F), Pat Buchanam (bad knee), and Gingrich, who didn't go but says sometimes he regrets it. Funny would probably be enough here, but Franken's book is more. He also offers plenty of solid information.
Annotation copyright H.W. Wilson Company. "As one may surmise from the title, ad hominem is his modus operandi, and he attacks with a wonderful lack of civility. To be sure, it's the nutcakes on the political right, the religious bigots, and the paranoid paramilitary that he disses, and he does it with two murderous weapons: satire and facts. Franken's sarcasm is an assault weapon...." "Mr. Franken, best known for his appearances on 'Saturday Night Live', is a surprisingly witty social commentator....He also trashes himself: a parody review of his book calls it 'vile' and 'mindless tripe'. Funny, angry, and intelligent is more like it."