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)
I don't know. I just checked cspan.org and http://exposetheleft.com/ and didn't see it. Maybe it will turn up somewhere.
We watched the skit with the President and his impersonator and really enjoyed it. We watched Cobert for about two minutes and switched channels when we could see it was going to be a real yawner. My all time favorite comedian that did that show was Drew Carey.
Sign me up.
Clan Forbes.
No, he was wearing them because he thought Jon Stewart would be waiting backstage.
To quote Colbert about the word (he made up) Truthiness...
"Truthiness is 'What I say is right, and [nothing] anyone else says could possibly be true.' It's not only that I feel it to be true, but that I feel it to be true. There's not only an emotional quality, but there's a selfish quality."
In essence, Dan Rather's documents are a good example of 'Truthiness'.
No, I have seen his show a couple times and have seen him on jon stewerts show a couple times, I do not watch either show religiously.
Some people pay 10 dollars for a crappy website with commie mods. You should only post there if you a leftwing crackpot. PS ozama has a large gunt, and if you look at mayor wilkins picture, you just feel sorry for the guy.
Wow, the mods are quick.
It's like an insta-zot, less ozone, less kitties.
In some circles that would be deemed quite unhealthy. There is a name for people who routinely invade other people's personal physical, and mental, space.
Town Hall meetings with no screening usually result in much better questions than the moribund WH Press Corps. At a TH meeting, people seem to actually want information from the President. WH presstitutes want to play "gotcha."
paragraph of dnc talkin pts nonsense
The presentation was a hydrogen bomb. He may have ruined his career it was so bad. I watched with FReepers on bigscreen TV in the Hilton Bar and he was hooted down with calls for the hook.
Given the nails-on-chalkboard insanity of last evening's "performances" I'd say yours is a very reasonable suggestion.
I don't think the President "rushed off" in displeasure.
The President always leaves these events first, and everybody has to stay seated until he leaves. This year was the same as all other years.
Colbert was simply not funny. He had a few good lines, but mostly it was just stupid stuff.
He does better on his show, where he is interacting with guests and his audience, and making fun of himself.
I beg to differ.
I think they are not showing it because it is sooo caustic--a true representation of Liberal thinking and public mistreatment of our President.
They don't know the meaning of respect, not even for the office of the President when occupied by a man they hate.
I think my favorite line from Colbert inverviewed a congressperson from Ohio.
" Two very famous astronauts came from Ohio Congressman. What is it about Ohio that causes people to want to flee the Earth?
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