Golden Colbert

I was a little slow to pick on this, but, via Sonia's new blog, comes an absolute gem from the Daily Show's Steven Colbert, who used the annual White House Correspondent's Dinner to slam Dubya's regime and its subservient press. From the outset, Colbert was sparkling:

Wow, wow, what an honor. The White House Correspondents' Dinner. To just sit here, at the same table with my hero, George W. Bush, to be this close to the man. I feel like I'm dreaming. Somebody pinch me. You know what, I'm a pretty sound sleeper, that may not be enough. Somebody shoot me in the face.

He goes on, playing the President's ultimate fan:

Now, I know there's some polls out there saying this man has a 32% approval rating. But guys like us, we don't pay attention to the polls. We know that polls are just a collection of statistics that reflect what people are thinking in "reality." And reality has a well-known liberal bias.

...So don't pay attention to the approval ratings that say 68% of Americans disapprove of the job this man is doing. I ask you this, does that not also logically mean that 68% approve of the job he's not doing? Think about it. I haven't.

The punches keep rolling:

...Now, there may be an energy crisis. This president has a very forward-thinking energy policy. Why do you think he's down on the ranch cutting that brush all the time? He's trying to create an alternative energy source. By 2008 we will have a mesquite powered car.

...The greatest thing about this man is he's steady. You know where he stands. He believes the same thing Wednesday, that he believed on Monday, no matter what happened Tuesday. Events can change, this man's beliefs never will.

His juiciest stuff, however, was reserved for hos press colleagues:

But the rest of you, what are you thinking, reporting on N.S.A. wiretapping or secret prisons in Eastern Europe? Those things are secret for a very important reason, they're superdepressing. And if that's your goal, well, misery accomplished.

Over the last five years you people were so good over tax cuts, W.M.D. intelligence, the affect of global warming. We Americans didn't want to know, and you had the courtesy not to try to find out. Those were good times, as far as we knew.

But, listen, let's review the rules. Here's how it works. The President makes decisions, he's the decider. The Press Secretary announces those decisions, and you people of the press type those decisions down. Make, announce, type. Put them through a spell check and go home.

Get to know your family again. Make love to your wife. Write that novel you got kicking around in your head. You know, the one about the intrepid Washington reporter with the courage to stand up to the administration. You know, fiction.

Whatever he does for the rest of his life, Colbert can die a happy man, his service to humanity complete. The media reaction, however, has been somewhat mixed, with the establishment obviously peeved at being so insulted. The playwright Christopher Durang, registered his disappointment at the lack of coverage on the Huffington Post:

The media's ignoring Colbert's effect at the White House Correspondents Dinner is a very clear example of what others have called the media's penchant for buying into the conservative/rightwing "narrative."

ie the very thing Colbert was railing against. Durang reproduces the whole of Colbert's speech which he delivered standing right next to the President, eyeballing the man with his most biting lines. The whole thing's brilliant and must have made the most uncomfortable watching for all attended.

For those who prefer a little truthiness, go to Thank You Steven Colbert and register your support.