By Richard Satran NEW YORK (Reuters) - He pioneered mock television news 30 years ago and wrote a satirical book about becoming the 44th president of the United States. So when comedian Al Franken says he is considering a run for U.S. Senate you have to ask -- is he serious?
| Probably. He needs another job, since it looks like his talk radio stint is gonna crash... |
It sounds serious. Franken is starting a national tour to promote his new book "The Truth (With Jokes)," which features the usual political satire that has made him a top-selling humor writer. A New York Times reviewer called it "an extended stump speech" for his political run." The heavily researched book tackles topics like Social Security reform, Iraq and the case of Terri Schiavo, which prompted a highly charged national debate on euthanasia earlier this year.
Still, for Franken, a one-liner is never far away. He skewers Republican leader Tom DeLay for saying proper medical care might have revived Schiavo as she remained in a vegetative state while politicians debated her fate. "In other words, given proper treatment, there was no reason Terri Schiavo couldn't live out her lifelong dream of being a Rockette," Franken quipped.
To launch his political career, he says he's moving to freezing-cold Minnesota in January, but that's no joke. That's his plan. He shrugs and shakes his head when asked whether wrestler Jesse Ventura's successful run for Minnesota governor inspired him. He prefers to talk about Paul Wellstone, the left-wing Democrat who died in a plane crash in the closing days of his 2002 campaign for a third term in the Senate.