Bill Maher, candid, caustic and courageous

Philadelphia Inquirer - Philadelphia, PA, USA - Bill Maher clearly loves to speak his mind.

But unlike other comedians, what is on Maher's mind isn't his bad date or his crazy mother. It's the bad government and crazy culture.

Maher said his penchant for dissecting the news of the day for laughs came from his family. "My father was a radio news guy in the old days of the staff announcements," Maher said in a phone interview from his Los Angeles home.

"It was always a part of our life at home. Unlike most American families, who don't discuss politics over dinner, we did."

Still, the comic and television host knows firsthand how his sometimes politically incorrect, always thought-provoking topics can lead to trouble.

In 2001, shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks, Maher landed in hot water while hosting his ABC late-night talk show, Politically Incorrect, for referring to some past U.S. military actions as "cowardly."