While a lot of the progressive/liberal blogs are absolutely "gushing" over what Stephen Colbert did at the White House Correspondents Dinner Last Night, I'm a bit "dumbstruck" as to why he was there in the first place.
The "mainstream" media is ignoring what happened last night, so maybe you missed his presentation/spoof/roast of George Bush who was seated a mere five (5) feet away. Here are some links:
From Huffington Post/Editor and Publisher here
From Rising Hegemon, here
And the video link from Crooks and Liars
A couple of Snippets,
He attacked those in the press who claim that the shake-up at the White House was merely re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. “This administration is soaring, not sinking,” he said. “If anything, they are re-arranging the deck chairs on the Hindenburg.”
Colbert told Bush he could end the problem of protests by retired generals by refusing to let them retire. He compared Bush to Rocky Balboa in the “Rocky” movies, always getting punched in the face—“and Apollo Creed is everything else in the world.”
Turning to the war, he declared, "I believe that the government that governs best is a government that governs least, and by these standards we have set up a fabulous government in Iraq."
He noted former Ambassador Joseph Wilson in the crowd, just three tables away from Karl Rove, and that he had brought " Valerie Plame." Then, worried that he had named her, he corrected himself, as Bush aides might do, "Uh, I mean... he brought Joseph Wilson's wife." He might have "dodged the bullet," he said
Colbert not only roasted the President, he also roasted the press and by almost all accounts, they didn't think it was too funny. They didn't laugh much at all about his jokes and (according to almost all accounts) there were many audible GASPS! at his jokes. Gasps, in the sense of "Oh my God I can't believe he said that!"
We denizens of the blogosphere, or as Republican Pundits call us, "The Fever Swamp", know that Colbert's show, The Colbert Report, is a riff on Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh; in short it's PARODY! Didn't the Republicans get the message? Maybe they don't have a sense of humor, or maybe they don't understand parody.
I wrote once before about my fears about Colbert's show and I think it's worth posting again. Read it . Tell me what you think. Here's the link
1 comment:
I was out of the loop this weekend since I just returned from a Democratic Leadership Institute. However, I watched the Colbert performance via your link and also saw Colbert featured on "Sixty Minutes" tonight. Your comparison of his humor and parody to that of "The Archie Bunker Show" was most interesting. I wouldn't have made the connection, but it was very thought-provoking. I don't really have an opinion about Colbert yet. However, I, too, wonder--what WAS he doing at that Washington dinner??? Also, judging by Bush's reaction (unsmiling, apparently), he (Bush) did seem to understand the parody! This in itself is surprising from a President who can't or won't grasp the most basic environmental, economic, or constitutional facts.
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