Pete Tagliani for Senate?

Powerline links to this speculative report about ex-comedian Al Franken's possible run for the US Senate from Minnesota next year. He is from there originally. (Oliver had the story earlier.)

Actually I think he'd be an interesting choice for Minnesota. He might be good for the left, in a put up or shut up kind of way. If Minnesota will have him, that is. I wonder if Brit Hume will interview him?

What office should Jeanine Garafolo run for?

Update: I see that Glenn's linked to the Tagliani call for Brit Hume to resign. I rarely visit Media Matters, but last night I was sufficiently compelled to post this comment on that story:

So where did Hume get it wrong? He quoted FDR as saying that "government funding, quote, 'ought to ultimately be supplanted by self-supporting annuity plans.'"

Hume didn't say that FDR said that the voluntary contributions should supplant the mandatory contributions- only that "government funding" should be supplanted "by self-supporting annuity plans".

Only if you believe that Hume was referring to the mandatory contributions when he said "government funding" would he have said something wrong. But it was the government funding, half federal, half state, that FDR was referring to.

This article is slightly dishonest in the way it lays out the story. Assuming the FDR stance depicted here is accurate, then the Bennett claim is flat out wrong. The author then links Hume, who quoted FDR accurately, to Bennett with this weaselly segue:

Earlier that evening, on FOX News' Special Report with Brit Hume, Hume provided the alleged historical basis for Bennett's claim:

A.S. then tells us what Hume said, again accurately. What does this mean that Hume provided the historical basis for Bennett's claim? How can you link Hume, who got it right, to Bennett, who got it wrong? Just because they both said it on Fox? Even if Bennett had named Hume as his source, you still can't blame Hume unless you can show that Hume was wrong, and that doesn't appear in this article.

Media Matters has a habit of smearing matters with half truths and specious arguments. It seems like their policy is throw anything and everything at views the don't like no matter how picayune or irrelevent. Of course they see their role as stopping what they see as the right's media juggernaut. Possibly some details here and there aren't always important.

Update: Back to Franken's run: nevermind.

After speculation that Al Franken would run for the Senate seat Mark Dayton is leaving open, the comedian says he is not going to be a candidate.

The announcement was made just before 2 p.m. in Washington D.C. during Franken's national radio program Air America.

Much Later Update: The Hume thing is reheating somewhat, or at least refuses to die, with Pete Tagliani's continuing obfuscation of the facts.