Franken caught in anti - O'Reilly lie, smear

The Newsday article "Franken takes on O'Reilly" buries the lede. Namely, Al Franken tried to smear Bill O'Reilly and got caught in a lie.

Sure, he has a book to sell and a radio show to promote, but Al Franken had more urgent reasons to bring his live broadcast to the Book Revue in Huntington Friday.

Namely: investigating where on Long Island arch-nemesis Bill O'Reilly grew up. Were O'Reilly's roots in blue-collar Levittown as the Fox television star insists? Or was he a product of the comparatively ritzy Westbury?

"What is this hall of mirrors known as O'Reilly's childhood?" Franken purred into his microphone, beginning his radio program before a crowd of 200 listeners.

Yes, what an asshole indeed. But, wait, more asshole-like behavior ensued:

Franken then quoted a subsequent Washington Post article in which O'Reilly's mother said the family was from Westbury.

"This would make him what we call ... " Franken began.

"A liar!" the crowd replied.

...But when Franken interviewed Hofstra professor and Levittown expert Barbara Kelly on the air, he learned there was no lie to uncover.

O'Reilly, Kelly declared, had grown up in Levittown, in an area that overlapped with the outskirts of Westbury.

"Well," Franken said, a hint of disappointment in his voice, "maybe he's just kind of ... , could that be it?"

Posted in StuartSmalley at October 29, 2005 05:12 PM

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Comments

"Maybe he's just kind of...could that be it?"...WHAT?? That statement doesn't make any sense. Sounds like Franken was left speechless. No snappy comeback, Smalley? Cat got your tongue?

Posted by: Scott at October 29, 2005 10:40 PM

Why aren't you in Iraq?
Yellow chicken-hawks!

Posted by: Truth at October 31, 2005 07:17 AM