Writer/Comedian Al Franken Talks Politics
BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "LATELINE") UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: So, what are we cooking up for tonight?</s>UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Mr. Freundlich's doing a story on air bag safety.</s>UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Ah.</s>AL FRANKEN, ACTOR: I don't know, if I'm sitting here and I know it's coming, I don't see any reason...</s>UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Oh, dear lord, did I do that?</s>DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Oh my, the laughs continue. Joining us now to talk about politics and presidential pratfalls, writer and comedian Al Franken, who happened to be in Atlanta, so we invited you to stop by. Good morning. Good to see you.</s>FRANKEN: Great to see you, Daryn.</s>KAGAN: You know, you wrote a book a few years ago called, "Why Not Me?" meaning why not Al Franken for president.</s>FRANKEN: Right.</s>KAGAN: So I want to ask you that. Why are we not in a few days going up to the Al Franken inauguration?</s>FRANKEN: Well, I thought Gore would be a better president.</s>KAGAN: He didn't win either, though.</s>FRANKEN: I know, I know. I was for Gore, but Bush is going to be inaugurated. And all you Democrats and other people who voted for Gore, get behind our new president. He's the president of all of us even -- you know, so support him even though he's kind of stupid and he stole the election.</s>KAGAN: And your opinion. We have to let...</s>FRANKEN: Oh, yes, yes -- and Leon's.</s>KAGAN: Don't get Leon in trouble.</s>FRANKEN: No, no, no, no.</s>KAGAN: Leon's in enough trouble as it is.</s>FRANKEN: Yes.</s>KAGAN: You said you talked to Al Gore a couple days ago?</s>FRANKEN: Yes.</s>KAGAN: What, you can just call him up and say, hi, Al, Al?</s>FRANKEN: I called him up and he wasn't there, but he called me back. And he said, hi, Al, how you doing? And I said, I'm a little bit embarrassed because -- for -- it took me so long to call you and thank you for everything you did for me. He's actually got a great sense of humor.</s>KAGAN: He does...</s>FRANKEN: And we had a good talk.</s>KAGAN: ... and that just didn't quite come across for a lot of folks.</s>FRANKEN: No, it -- well, sometimes it does. But I thought his concession speech was hilarious. No, it was beautiful, actually. So...</s>KAGAN: He did have some good lines for that.</s>FRANKEN: Yes.</s>KAGAN: Now, politically, you might not be a big fan of George W. Bush, but conservative politics has been very good to you.</s>FRANKEN: Yes.</s>KAGAN: You wrote that big book on Rush Limbaugh, calling him...</s>FRANKEN: "Rush Limbaugh is a Big, Fat Idiot," yes. He's lost a lot of weight.</s>KAGAN: I know, so your book doesn't really work anymore -- or the title.</s>FRANKEN: I saved his life and he hasn't thanked me. Go figure.</s>KAGAN: But so, politically it might not good for you, but professionally this could be good looking for some humor. Is there anything funny about a Bush presidency?</s>FRANKEN: Well, I'm a little, actually, perturbed because he said he was going to be a uniter and not a divider and now we have -- I don't know why he picked Ashcroft if he's going to be -- I mean, he talks about having -- he actually talks about having a mandate. And the fact is he lost by 500,000 votes. Now, I know it's the Electoral College that counts.</s>KAGAN: Right.</s>FRANKEN: But still, it was like, as we know in Florida, we don't know really what happened. So, I mean, he -- I could see him saying, OK, it was a tie kind of, but I'm the guy so let me do what I want to do. But don't, you know -- Ashcroft. I wish I could be asking him the questions in this hearing.</s>KAGAN: You could be at those confirmation hearings later today.</s>FRANKEN: Well, for example, one of the questions I'd like to ask Ashcroft is, you got an honorary degree from Bob Jones University. What was the degree in?</s>KAGAN: No, I don't know that.</s>FRANKEN: I read this in the "New York Times." And it's not religious, it's something about Babylonian kings used to do this. Also, one thing I'd like to ask him -- by the way, in Bob Jones University, when he spoke there, he did not speak out against their policy on interracial dating, their ban on interracial dating. You know who I think would have spoken out against that?</s>KAGAN: Who might have done that?</s>FRANKEN: Thomas Jefferson.</s>KAGAN: He might have done that on interracial dating?</s>FRANKEN: Yes.</s>KAGAN: Because of...</s>FRANKEN: Well, he dated a slave.</s>KAGAN: Yes, he apparently had some children.</s>FRANKEN: Yes, he dated a slave. I think that's wrong, by the way, having sex with a slave...</s>KAGAN: That would be a very good political...</s>FRANKEN: ... on two counts. I think slavery is wrong.</s>KAGAN: That's very out there for you, Al.</s>FRANKEN: Well, in principle, I'm against it.</s>KAGAN: OK.</s>FRANKEN: And then having sex with a slave. I mean, what kind of message does that send to the other slaves?</s>KAGAN: Not a good one. Let's talk about the Bush presidency. Bring me back here to the present.</s>FRANKEN: OK.</s>KAGAN: Are you going to look for any great comedic opportunities with that?</s>FRANKEN: Well...</s>KAGAN: Another book in you maybe?</s>FRANKEN: ... I don't know. It depends how badly it goes. And I'm rooting for the country...</s>KAGAN: Right.</s>FRANKEN: ... you know, I'm a patriot. That's why I was for Gore, because Bush presumably would be better for me. But, you know, already there's some funny, ironic stuff -- the Chavez thing, you know. Here's an irony. The FBI thought that she might have been calling her neighbor to influence her testimony to the FBI. And Chavez said, no, it was just she talked to her neighbor as a way of refreshing her recollection. The irony is her neighbor was Betty Currie.</s>KAGAN: No.</s>FRANKEN: Isn't that ironic? Isn't that, Leon?</s>KAGAN: How funny that...</s>FRANKEN: Yes, because she was just refreshing her recollection by...</s>KAGAN: Yes, very good.</s>FRANKEN: Yes.</s>KAGAN: As that's happened before during impeachment.</s>FRANKEN: Yes, that's right. So it's ironic.</s>KAGAN: I got you there.</s>FRANKEN: Yes.</s>KAGAN: Very good. One more thing on Al Gore: You had a little bit of advice for him on the speaking engagements.</s>FRANKEN: Well, I've been doing -- I'm here in Atlanta to speak to a group and it's very lucrative. So I...</s>KAGAN: Congratulations.</s>FRANKEN: Thank you. Thank you very much. And I suggested that Al might want to...</s>KAGAN: Maybe look into that.</s>FRANKEN: ... look into the speaking circuit. And, actually, I told him find out who Colin Powell's speaking agent is because Powell probably has 30 lined up that he can't do because he's going to be secretary of state. And maybe the vice president can get sloppy seconds from Colin Powell.</s>KAGAN: From Colin Powell. Well, I'm sure Al Gore appreciates your career advice.</s>FRANKEN: Yes, well -- and he's a great guy, by the way.</s>KAGAN: I appreciate that. And thanks for stopping by. Continued success on your speaking engagements.</s>FRANKEN: Well, thank you. And continue success with your new partner, Leon.</s>KAGAN: Leon. It's good to have Leon around.</s>LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Good to be here.</s>KAGAN: Absolutely. Al Franken, thank you very much stopping by in Atlanta. Leon, to you.</s>HARRIS: I can't think of the last time I ever heard the term "sloppy seconds" used here on CNN.