Comedian Stephen Colbert (R) provides the entertainment as U.S. President George W. Bush (L) watches during the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in Washington, April 29, 2006. REUTERS/Hyungwon KangThis is off Editor & Publisher:
WASHINGTON A blistering comedy “tribute” to President Bush by Comedy Central’s faux talk show host Stephen Colbert at the White House Correspondent Dinner Saturday night left George and Laura Bush unsmiling at its close.
Crooks and Liars has the video link right here. Continuing on:
Earlier, the president had delivered his talk to the 2700 attendees, including many celebrities and top officials, with the help of a Bush impersonator.
Colbert, who spoke in the guise of his talk show character, who ostensibly supports the president strongly, urged the Bush to ignore his low approval ratings, saying they were based on reality, “and reality has a well-known liberal bias.”
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, as prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald wasn't there.
Colbert also made biting cracks about missing WMDs, “photo ops” on aircraft carriers and at hurricane disasters, melting glaciers and Vice President Cheney shooting people in the face. He advised the crowd, "if anybody needs anything at their tables, speak slowly and clearly on into your table numbers and somebody from the N.S.A. will be right over with a cocktail. "
And the coup de grace:
As Colbert walked from the podium, when it was over, the president and First Lady gave him quick nods, unsmiling, and handshakes, and left immediately.
Those seated near Bush told E&P's Joe Strupp, who was elsewhere in the room, that Bush quickly turned from an amused guest to an obviously offended target as Colbert’s comments brought up his low approval ratings and problems in Iraq.
Several veterans of past dinners, who requested anonymity, said the presentation was more directed at attacking the president than in the past. Several said previous hosts, like Jay Leno, equally slammed both the White House and the press corps.
“This was anti-Bush,” said one attendee. “Usually they go back and forth between us and him.” Another noted that Bush quickly turned unhappy, and left the dais shortly after while most seated near him, including Colbert and Snow, glad-handed the crowd. “You could see he stopped smiling about halfway through Colbert,” he reported.
Strupp, in the crowd during the Colbert routine, had observed that quite a few sitting near him looked a little uncomfortable at times, perhaps feeling the material was a little too biting--or too much speaking "truthiness" to power.
Colbert didn't just rip Bush a new one--he ripped it, and then served it to Bush as the main entree at the Correspondent's Dinner!
I understand that these dinners are suppose to be a lampooning of the President, and perhaps of the Washington press corps, but Colbert did more than just a stand-up comedy routine. Colbert showed the president just how far his policies have gone in destroying this country's finances, its economy, and its image within the world. This Bush administration has refused to acknowledge any mistakes; it has divided this country along political, social, religious, and economic fault lines, and has attacked and stifled any serious criticism or debate of policy issues. When over 70 percent of the American population believes that the country is heading into the wrong direction, Colbert has delivered a powerful message to President Bush from the American people--your administration is failing to provide the leadership that this country needs! You have failed Mr. President!
It is a message that Bush still doesn't get.
Thank you so much for the link to that video, I've been hearing about it but hadn't seen it. How can a rational person not be anti-bush these days, and HOW ON EARTH are the people in power so thick that they haven't realised it yet and are still sticking to their failing policies. The concept that people so inept have their fingers hovering over The Big Red Button genuinely frightens me. What will it take to get through to them?
ReplyDeleteMisneach: I wish I knew how a rational person could not be anti-Bush these days. I'm tempted to say that rationality has left the American public these days. Perhaps we've gotten so lazy or exhausted through the long hours of work, raising families, and trying to fidn ways to pay off high credit card interest rates, high gas costs, education costs, that we no longer want to research and think about the issues and problems this administration has caused. We become complacent watching corporate mainstream news stations that seem more interested in covering Michael Jackson's molestation trial, or some teenage girl's disappearence in Aruba--who care's about another girl named Valerie Plame, or the possibility of the NSA spying on you. We've gotten complacent watching bad reality TV shows such as Biggest Loser, Survivor, American Race, and Fear Factor. It is almost like our nation has become a nation of morons--easily controlled by slick PR and cheap, tawdry media thrills.
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