A WHILE BACK, I linked to Megan McArdle’s pooh-poohing of the Media Matters claim that Brit Hume misrepresented FDR’s statements on social security. Now Al Franken is charged with misquoting Hume.

UPDATE: Kevin Drum says no.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Nick Schulz weighs in:

Lastly, rather than being an attack on the New Deal — “destroy”ing FDR’s America, as Krugman alleged — the kinds of changes initiated by the Bush administration can just as easily be considered an expansion of the welfare state. Up until now, the welfare state has given Americans only income support. Bush’s proposal would have it give Americans the opportunity to accumulate wealth, as well. But it is an expansion of the welfare state that reduces the public’s dependence on the state — which may be why some of FDR’s self-styled heirs hate it so.

Of course, none of this would be an issue with my proposal for Social Security reform.

YET ANOTHER UPDATE: Reader Matthew Henken is excessively optimistic about the state of our political discourse: “My first thought on reading your headline was, ‘Al Franken was quoting David Hume?'”

MORE: Steve Verdon has a request for Al Franken.