Posted on 04/30/2006 2:44:57 PM PDT by alnick
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.
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. "
Observing that Bush sticks to his principles, he said, "When the president decides something on Monday, he still believes it on Wednesday - no matter what happened Tuesday."
Also lampooning the press, Colbert complained that he was “surrounded by the liberal media who are destroying this country, except for Fox News. Fox believes in presenting both sides of the story — the president’s side and the vice president’s side." He also reflected on the alleged good old days, when the media was still swallowing the WMD story.
Addressing the reporters, he said, "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."
He claimed that the Secret Service name for Bush's new press secretary is "Snow Job."
Colbert closed his routine with a video fantasy where he gets to be White House Press Secretary, complete with a special “Gannon” button on his podium. By the end, he had to run from Helen Thomas and her questions about why the U.S. really invaded Iraq and killed all those people.
As Colbert walked from the podium, when it was over, the president and First Lady gave him quick nods, unsmiling. The president shook his hand and tapped his elbow, and left immediately.
Those seated near Bush told E&P's Joe Strupp, who was elsewhere in the room, that Bush had 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.
After the gathering, Snow, while nursing a Heineken outside the Chicago Tribune reception, declined to comment on Colbert. “I’m not doing entertainment reviews,” he said. “I thought the president was great, though.”
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.
Asked by E&P after it was over if he thought he'd been too harsh, Colbert said, "Not at all." Was he trying to make a point politically or just get laughs? "Just for laughs," he said. He said he did not pull any material for being too strong, just for time reasons. (He later said the president told him "good job" when he walked off.)
Helen Thomas told Strupp her segment with Colbert was "just for fun."
In its report on the affair, USA Today asserted that some in the crowd cracked up over Colbert but others were "bewildered." Wolf Blitzer of CNN said he thought Colbert was funny and "a little on the edge."
Earlier, the president had addressed the crowd with a Bush impersonator alongside, with the faux-Bush speaking precisely and the real Bush deliberately mispronouncing words, such as the inevitable "nuclear." At the close, Bush called the imposter "a fine talent. In fact, he did all my debates with Senator Kerry." The routine went over well with the crowd -- better than did Colbert's, in fact.
Among attendees at the black tie event: Morgan Fairchild, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, Justice Antonin Scalia, George Clooney, and Jeff "Skunk" Baxter of the Doobie Brothers--in a kilt. E&P Staff (gmitchell@editorandpublisher.com)
Yeah, seems a little different when it's your ox getting gored.
Overall, I thought Colbert was excellent (as usual). But then again, I'm one of those rare conservatives with a functioning humor gland.
It's not a matter of no sense of humor. It's a matter of the "comedian" not being funny. :-)
I'm a fan of Colbert and it is one of the few shows I schedule time to watch, but I was disappointed in his performance at the WHC dinner. I think the opening joke went flat about the bullet proof SUV's and it never recovered.
He comes off much better on his show.
How much better it could have been had they brought Larry the Cable Guy in instead of Colbert.
I don't appreciate the dig.
Colbert was absolutely horrible. When his openning salvo failed, he lost the crowd. Then he just kept digging a hole.
THe best thing to do when digging a hole is to stop digging. Instead, Colbert then not only kept digging, but traded in his failed shovel for a steam shovel.
His twists of "I'm a conservative, just like the President, and I am ignorant of anything relevant" ranting was absolutely stupid.
Here's a link to the whole thing (in three parts):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcIRXur61II&search=Colbert%20CSPAN%20roast%20colbert%20cspan%20AP%20ap
To be fair, some jokes fell flat, but some got a lot of laughs. Scalia seemed to be having a good time.
He hammered the press as much as he went after the president.
I agree. I was very disappointed in Colbert. I think his show is funny, even though I realize he is making fun of people like me. I can laugh at myself so it is not a problem. The President and his sidekick...:) were very funny, my husband and I were laughing out loud.
The DU'ers are acting like Colbert really slammed Pres. Bush. I thought his act was lame and I expected much better. The President can laugh at himself but wasn't given the chance with Colbert's lame jokes.
Don't waste your time watching it.
Not funny.
I would have enjoyed seeing the President get up after the Iraq cracks and announce to the audience that he was leaving in the middle of the act because he had too much respect for the Office of President to sit there and tacitly condone such attacks.
The WH Correspondents Dinner is an exercise in self-importance and inflated egos. If I were Bush, I would not go to the next one citing some more pressing engagement. Most of the humor is sophmoric and gotcha stuff. The President deserves to be treated as an invited guest and respect shown for the office.
I also thought that the Imus presentation during the Clinton administration was over the top.
People who watch and enjoy the Colbert Report dont nitpick through what you are talking about. It doesnt matter if its strawman or satire because people are watching it for humor, and not for deep insight into political matters. I dont care how many strawmen he sets up because thats what makes the show entertaining. Its taking logical arguments and spinning them so much it becomes completely absurd and comical.
Colbert sucked. He was nasty, smug, and totally unfunny. His schtick as a brainless right-winger is old and tired.
That close-up at the end of Helen's face was like something from a horror movie, not exactly anything humorous or from a comedy. Eeewwwwwww!
I can't even figure what it was Colbert hoped to do with the entire thing. It was just stupid, nasty and classless, not to mention boring, IMO.
Don't be vainglorious. It's a normal reaction. I'm sure you have your limits too. For the record, I didn't see Colbert's performance at the dinner, but I've seen him at other times and found him pretty funny.
It never fails to amaze me how classless the left is.
Thanks for that link
What idiot hired that guy?
Most people don't have the wherewithal to condemn straw-men in the beginning of the sentence and then erect one at the end. But you, sir, are something special!
But he has to know now. To that extent, although he isn't normally worth the dog crap you scrape off of your shoes...Colbert may have actually done a service if the President realizes he needs to stop, re-orient himself, shift policies to get back in line with the Conservative Majority...and restore his popularity. And then do some serious fanny-wacking against the liberals.
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