Oppose Bush's Vulgar Lies and Pornographic War: Send Money to Al Franken

It is a minor journalistic cliché to call former Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson "a gifted wordsmith." That he is. Gerson is the devout Christian (just ask him) whose presidential speeches contained subliminal messages to evangelicals ("wonder-working power", "an angel rides the whirlwind," etc.).

Gerson used these dog-whistle techniques to help persuade followers of the Prince of Peace to embrace an unjust, unwise, unwarranted war. A man who would contort the language of Christ and His followers to promote a war would, you'd think, have a high tolerance for how others use words. But not Mr. Gerson.

In a pompous, preening, prissy, preachy op-ed in the neoconservative Washington Post, Gerson excoriates, of all people, Al Franken. Why Franken? Well, Franken has committed a sin far more egregious than Bush, who, using Gerson's words, led thousands to a certain and unnecessary death. He told some dirty jokes.

Goody-Goody Gerson has the guts to cheer the Bush-Cheney war machine. But when Al Franken tells a poopy joke or a booby joke, Mikey gets all woozy. Someone quick get this frail flower a fan. He has the vapors.

Franken, more than most people I know, has thrown himself into supporting and comforting the soldiers whom Gerson's boss has used and abused. I can't count the number of USO trips Al has made, the troops he has entertained, the men facing death who had a brief laugh (maybe even at a wee-wee joke!) before heading back into combat. Or Al's many visits to military hospitals, the countless acts of true charity -- dare I say Christian charity? -- that this good man has committed while Gerson poses as a saintly supporter of senseless slaughter.

One of the Franken jokes Gerson is most nauseated by is Franken's 2006 monologue in which he allegedly impersonated Strom Thurmond saying, "Yeah, I screwed a woman who was vomiting once." Horrific, isn't it? But it's actually an example of satire being less shocking than truth. There is no record, (that I know of), of Strom Thurmond actually screwing a woman until she threw up. Hence Al's line was meant to be over-the-top, ridiculous, comic. But Thurmond did in fact have sex with a woman as she was being driven to the electric chair*, which I think is worse.

But that's just me. I think death is worse than sex. Perhaps for Mr. Gerson it's the other way 'round. He's clearly more comfortable putting words in the mouth of our incompetent, dishonest President; he's happy to be a sycophantic scribe for the bastards who have plunged us into this damnable war. But heaven forefend Al Franken - who opposes the war - would tell a dirty joke.

It is Mr. Gerson who is dirty and his writing which is a joke.

So I'm going to do some writing in response. Not just this post. I'm writing a check to Al Franken for Senate. Better still, I'm going to click here and donate right away. I hope you'll do the same. Stand up for good, clean dirty jokes and against sanctimonious, smug, speechwriters.

*See Jack Bass and Marilyn W. Thompson's book Ol' Strom for the full story of Strom nailing convicted murderer Sue Logue as she was being driven to the South Carolina death house in 1943. Logue's nephew said his aunt "was the only person ever seduced on the way to the electric chair." Thurmond's longtime, trusted driver, Randall Johnson, who witnessed the tryst on the highway to heaven -- or hell -- said the two were "a-huggin' and a-kissin' the whole way" to the death house.

Comments

[CarbonDate]

Goodness, if Logue wanted one last tryst before she died, I don't see any harm in that.

[Sciguy]

With Strom Thurmond? Ewwww.....­..........­..

[shengirl]

I read the Gerson piece in the WP. Ridiculous, B ush has trashed the Constitution, our civil liberties, lied us into a war, ruined the economy, wrecked the environment, destroyed out international standing, and we're supposed to be all atwitter because Al Fran ken's use of dirty words will lower the level of public discourse. Get real! We can all be sure to keep our pinky fingers properly crooked as we drink that last cup of tea before we're all hauled off to Gitmo, with no legal recourse at all.

[americanalien]

Mr. Begala I love this piece. You really didn't hold anything back and I just like the way you expose Gerson for his blatant hypocrisy. I too will contribute to Al Franken. This was convincing enough for me. I always enjoy your political analysis whether it's on CNN or in your writings here on HuffPost. You always strike the right tone and definitely know how to "stick it to the enemy". Keep on doing your thing man, love ya.

[nevadagirl]

Is Gerson the same guy who wrote the joke Laura Bush told about George "milking a horse, and it was a male horse"?

[writeaway]

I too applaud Mr. Begala. His way with words and his insight are unmatched. I hate that the show he used to appear on went away.

[Danny]

If it hadn't been from shill-for -the-admin Mike Gerson, I might have read the piece. I didn't have to. I knew someone would react to it as the propaganda piece it would be.

[Joseph A. Palermo - Huffpost Blogger]

A state that elected Jesse Ventura governor should not be thin skinned when it comes to bawdiness coming from Franken, it's just because Franken is a liberal.

[rwe]

"it is just because Franken is a liberal" No that is not the reason (though it shuld be rason enough).. It is becasue he is Pat Paulsen or Stephen Colbert with rabies....

[leftcoastindy]

that you would compare Paulsen to Cobert suggest you must be a Repub. No Dem would have any trouble seeing the huge difference.

Franken is an awesome candidate, even if he was originally wrong on Iraq.

[Steamboater]

The democrats just voted to fund this "vulgar" and damned war --again--and they're going to end it and expect those of us who want this war over and done with ASAP to give them money to boot? I don't think so.

[minnehot]

As a member of the Party of Lincoln here in the Land of Ten Thousands lakes, I want to thank Democrats everywhere for having supported Al Franken to the point he actually got nominated as its candidate for the U.S. Senate from Minnesota! Thank You! We really appreciate that you stuck by a guy that has a zero chance of actually being elected! What's more, Al is actually contributing to a reverse coat-tail effect here in Lake Wobegon fly over land. Obama, who should be up 15pts is now down to a 1 pt lead vs McCain while Franken is down 12 pts to Norm Coleman. Just when we GOP types were geting down in the mouth with war, gas prices, recession, and housing collapse you boys and girls were thoughtful enough to throw us a lifeline; Al Franken! Thank you, Thank you. Thank you!
Oh, did I tell you Al is going to get wiped out this fall and had the Democrats nominated ANYBODY else they would have won this seat in a walk!? Thank You!

[AnotherMcIntosh]

" want to thank Democrats everywhere for having supported Al Franken to the point ..."

You're welcome.

[StevenHyde]

Be careful what you wish for, minnenot. Smilin' Norm knows the political chameleon game all too well. (viz., 'Coleman - D, Mayor St. Paul.') He can smell which way the wind is blowing, knows which side his bread is buttered on, will go along to get along, play ball, cross the aisle, whatever you'd like to call it--all with one unbending, underlying goal: More power and prestige for Norm Coleman. Even if he actually squeaks by, you won't have the Bush-lovin' toady you're used to; you'll have a "reborn, bipartisan" Coleman instead. In other words, look for him to vote with the Democrats more often.

I say this to you as a person who lived in St. Paul under the Coleman regime.

Incidentally, the most recent credible presidential poll for MN is not Son of Cain down 1, it is Obama up 13.

http://www.pollster.com/blogs/poll_rasmussen_minnesota.php

Sleep tight. Next January the adults will be back in charge.

-Hyde

[MichaelDeane]

Keep dreaming. If you keep telling yourself these lies, you'll really start to believe it.

For one, Lincoln would have nothing to do with your party of cowards, hypocrites and liars.

Norm is one of my favorite candidates to watch. He is so swarmy. Still cheating on his wife? They don't even live in the same city, no?

Norm had his head so far up George Bush's butt that its permanently stained. All Franken has to do is remind Minnesota voters of Coleman's heavily partisan record. He's the toady punk who stands behind the bully egging him on. Now that Bush hasd been revealed to be the utter incompetent that he is, Coleman has no one to hide behind. If I was Franken, I'd use all of Coleman's toady suck up support of Bush against him. I'd run nothing but ads featuring Coleman and all his highly partisan positions.

Obama wins Minnesota. Franken squeaks by Coleman.

[foolchild0]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who found Gerson's piece preposterous, especially considering it was in support of Norm Coleman, whose past as a dope-smoking leftist radical with views far more threatening to conventional morality than anything Franken has ever said or thought oddly does not seem to bother Gerson in the slightest. It was a calculated, partisan political smear job without an ounce of genuine moral basis that the Washington Post enabled, just showing what a vacuous empty shell the once-great paper has become.

[river10]

The Post is indeed a joke, a dark shadow of its former self. And Norm....his former self when he was a campus radical at Hofstra was as one of the biggest dope dealers around. Rich boy with tons of dough and connections, mouthing antiwar slogans while supplying his fellows with herb and blow.
Yet criminality and duplicity were perfect preparation for a repug-to-be, as Norm has proved with the rest of his life. I sincerely hope Minnesotans throw this fraud out.

[TonalCrow]

I have only one quibble with this article. Bush's war is not "pornographic"; it's obscene -- and I don't mean that in a good sense. Pornography is about sex, and sex (within reason) is a perfectly normal and healthy part of life. Lying us into an unnecessary war, on the other hand, is the kind of crime that merits life imprisonment in a damp, lonely cell in the bowels of the Hague.

[HypocrisyAlarm]

I think I could overcome my aversion to the death penalty in his case. He really deserves the Adolf Eichmann treatment -- even the presence of his ashes would eternally pollute anything they were to touch.

[appleknocker]

Franken lost me when he described himself, several years ago, as a "DLC Democrat."

[antaeus]

One question: will Franken be allowed to mock Lieberman on the floor of the Senate? If so, where do I send my check?

[americanalien]

I'll pay anything for that. Franken, putting the turncoat in his place, classic!

[dzent1]

Al Franken is very like Barack Obama in a very vital sense: They both can see the problem clearly and frame it in a comprehensive way. They don't rely on the tactics of fear-mongering, but intelligent appeal. Thank God for Franken, with his intelligence and humor.

Mr. Begala, you've got balls. Thanks for smacking Gerson right in his filthy mouth with them (be sure to use disinfectant afterwards...)

[WRPrintz]

I gave the maximum I could to Franken in the Primary, and plan on doing so for the General Election as well. Norm Coleman must go.

[wordvarc]

.

Micheal Gerson was used by w's neocon's to corner the evangelical market. He succeeded. Despite his youth he, (like Colin Powell and the rest of us who allowed ourselves to be fed rovian fear mongering lies) is forever tarnished by promoting the worst, most destructive, backward, and immoral administration in US history.
.

[tweed7t]

I am way ahead of you here. I live in Nevada and have been giving Franken 25 bucks a pop (4 times) over the last year. If you cant vote in the state, at least you can show support by donating. 25 bucks is not that much but it adds up. I also gave to the Ned Lamont campaign in Conneticutt.

[Danny]

me too.

[marinemomof3]

Me Three!

[slg]

What an unforgiving bunch of word zealots! Everyone confuses names, everyone makes slips of the tongue, everyone has a bad err day. Is this what's to replace social action in a time of economic and political upheaval? Are we counting how many times Osamba is confused with the other two? The Word Police are in league with the enemy.