Ann Coulter is a liar.

So is Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly and President Bush. At least, this is what Al Franken tries to convince his readers in his book, “Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right.”

Franken makes no bones about being a vehemently liberal Democrat, and the tone of his book is very partisan.

Take, for example, this quote: “Yes, I’m a liberal, and I’m proud of it. It’s a term we need to reclaim. Because I believe most Americans are liberals just like me. Most Americans believe in helping people.”

The second chapter of the book is titled, “Ann Coulter: Nutcase.” This gives a good idea of the tone of the entire book, that being outrageously hilarious. Franken takes apart Coulter’s book, “Slander: Liberal Lies about the American Right,” pointing out the methods she uses to lie, as well as specific examples of lies that, well, lie within her book.

Franken then goes on to apply the same treatment to Sean Hannity, author and the co-host of the Fox News Channel show, “Hannity and Colmes,” and Bill O’Reilly, the right-wing host of “The O’Reilly Factor,” and author of “The No Spin Zone,” among other books.

In each case, he makes fun of his subject while also rigorously deconstructing the lies they supposedly tell. For example, his chapter on O’Reilly is called, “Bill O’Reilly: Lying, Splotchy Bully,” and he exposes the hypocrisy of O’Reilly’s crusade against the Pepsi Corporation and the rapper Ludacris, as well as O’Reilly’s lies about the awards he’d received while working for “Inside Edition.”

Though a good portion of the book is devoted to exposing the lies of the right, Franken also comments on how the tone of political discourse in the country has become so partisan and subjective that “matters of import” cannot be discussed with civility.

Much of “Lies” is humorous; after all, Franken is a comedian. But he takes on a serious tone when talking about the Paul Wellstone memorial service, an event he claims was used by the right to paint the left as completely politically motivated and insensitive.

At the end of his book, Franken says this about lies: “Yes. Lying is a serious matter. And calling the President of the United States a liar is not something I say with any relish or self-satisfaction … The right wing media’s lies create a world in which no one needs to feel any obligation to anybody else. It’s a worldview designed to comfort the comfortable and further afflict the afflicted.”

Franken has many good things to bring to the table of discourse in this country, despite the partisan nature of the book. Sure, he calls people whom he dislikes “stupid bastards,” but in a satirical tone, one which is meant to show the manner in which they themselves utilize name-calling.

“Lies” is highly entertaining, passionate and idealistic. Many may find Franken offensive and immature, but underneath his veneer of comedy is a biting criticism of right-wing politics that is well-reasoned and highly researched (he assembled a team of fourteen Harvard students, named TeamFranken, to assist in the research of the book.)

One problem with the book is Franken’s glimmering depiction of the Clinton administration, and occasionally, the left as a whole; while railing against those who fail to criticize their own party, he sometimes forgets to do the same.

Whether one is a Democrat, Republican, or neither, “Lies” is entertaining and informative. Franken is hilarious and smart, and it’s not necessary to agree with his politics to enjoy this insightful book.