Air America, Al Franken, and the Liberal Media Exposed

The Washington Times has an enlightening editorial today. It not only sheds light on the despicable nature of Air America and its minions; but it also reveals the monstrous liberal bias of the mainstream media.

The Times writes:

For a change, Al Franken sounded serious and didn't want a fistfight. He didn't seem to know much about Air America Radio's loan scandal speaking to the New York Sun Monday, and said he had just learned the details last week. In sum, he sounded a lot like the politicians he plays "gotcha" with. Maybe Mr. Franken's ambitions for Norm Coleman's seat in the Senate are sobering him up a bit.

He didn't know whether former Air America director and nonprofit executive Evan Cohen had transferred inner-city children's money to Air America, nor whether the money had been used for Air America's operations. Mr. Franken did know this: Air America had known about the problem before New York's Department of Investigation began studying it. But a city spokesman says Air America "neglected to tell anyone at DOI or in the city about it." Add another unanswered question to Air America's tally.

Up to this point, Mr. Franken gets a pass: He is the talent, not the management. But now that he is apprised, Mr. Franken should get to the bottom of the scandal.

He SHOULD, but I doubt he will.

That would demand some personal integrity. It would require him to admit that Air America is involved in a truly disgusting, corrupt act. It would mean Franken would have to admit the HYPOCRISY OF THE HYPOCRITICAL HYPOCRITES at the network and force him to take a FAIR AND BALANCED LOOK AT AIR AMERICA.

That will happen when Hell freezes over.

On Friday, Air America confirmed that last year it did in fact take money from a city-funded nonprofit that runs programs in the Bronx for children and Alzheimer's sufferers, and that it plans to pay the money back. It also revealed that it refuses to accept responsibility: First it blamed the Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club, the nonprofit, calling the club's alleged behavior "absolutely disgraceful"; then it blamed Progress Media, a now-defunct Air America parent company, and said it had no obligation to pay the money back. But Air America announced it would pay the money back because it is "very disturbed that Air America Radio's good name could be associated with a reduction in services for young people."

It's also clear that Air America was the primary beneficiary of whatever "absolutely disgraceful" corruption occurred. As Jeannette Graves, president of Gloria Wise's executive committee, explained to the New York Sun this week, Mr. Cohen received more than $800,000 for himself and for Air America. She and her colleagues approved two $35,000 "loans" to Mr. Cohen plus another $167,000 for Air America because "he had thrown a tremendously successful fund-raising affair for Gloria Wise in Manhattan last year." He was "a very wonderful young man" who "left a very favorable impression." The rest of the transfers apparently happened without Mrs. Graves' knowledge: Someone approved a $213,000 loan with Mrs. Graves' name rubber-stamped on it plus a whopping $400,000 wire transfer.

Mr. Franken should get to the bottom of this scandal. He didn't create it, but he's part of it, and he will be implicated if he does not help find the wrongdoers and compensate the victims. Besides, things get a lot tougher in the Senate, a place where fistfights and jokes won't cut it.

In the past, Franken has hinted at the possibility of running for the U.S. Senate. Minnesota is a blue state, but is it blue enough to send a man like Franken to Washington?

I think Franken would have to dig himself out of the hole of his cocaine history, his violent outbursts, and his over the top, reckless rhetoric before he could begin to talk about issues.

Now, he has this Air America scandal sitting in his lap. Think of how he pummeled Tom DeLay, and deemed him evil incarnate. How many times has he called Bush and his administration corrupt?

Speaking of Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them, Franken should look in the mirror.

It's time for Franken to quit kidding himself. His dream of being a Senator is dead on arrival. It's not going to happen. (I say that with some hesitation. I would never have predicted that Jesse Ventura would be elected the governor of Minnesota.)

In any event, the funneling of tax dollars that were earmarked for children and the elderly to his partisan, private operation makes Franken look bad--VERY BAD.

Air America needs to come clean about its shady dealings immediately. Instead, Franken and his cohorts have chosen to hem and haw and hope the scandal goes away.

This strategy makes sense; given the fact that they have the liberal media on their side.

Therein lies the other ugly underbelly of this scandal. The Leftist media have for all intents and purposes ignored this story.

Why has this scandal received so little attention?

Very simple. It's about Air America, the network that still has relatively NO audience in spite of massive lib media efforts to pump it up. The lib media can't bear to say anything negative about their precious Air America.

If Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity or any other conservative talk radio outfit had illegally received public funds to bolster their shows, it would be pounced on by every mainstream outlet from here to eternity.

Every morning, Katie Couric and Matt Lauer would lead Today with the latest damning developments. There would be protests and petitions. Senate Dems would take to the floor to express their outrage in fiery speeches, and compare the evil conservatives to Nazis. Dr. Dean would be foaming at the mouth more than usual.

Air America, Al Franken, and the Liberal Media have been exposed.

Is anyone noticing?