More on Colbert

Dan Froomkin gave an excellent (in the sense of accurate) review of Stephen Colbert's performance at the Press Dinner April 29th. I think he is also applauding the performance, but he quotes so many other writers that his own point of view becomes a little blurred. Unfortunately, the U-Tube replay has been taken down for copyright reasons, but here is the transcript. If that's the best you can find then read it, but you miss the pauses, silences, and pictures of Bush's reactions which make the performance so uttlerly superb.

Wait! Here is a copy of the video!

I found it hilarious because he first told the Press that the man sitting 10 feet away from his was dishonest and not to be trusted. Then he turned on the Press itself, his main audience in the room, and blamed them for failing to report what was going on with the Bush administration.

So what happened? Bush got visibly angry, but could do nothing about it. The Press couldn't understand why Colbert was going after them right there after they had invited him. So the Media finally resolved it by first ignoring Colbert and reporting on the show Bush and his imitator put on. Of course, the blogosphere reacted by blaming them for doing what they have been doing with the Bush administration since he first ran for the Presidency - the Media just transcribes what the Bush people say and ignore those who disagree.

With the blogosphere up in arms about the Media acting as it has for six years, rolling over like a frightened sick dog for Bush, they came back with a counterattack. Colbert just wasn't funny.

That's because Colbert was playing to the back of the room. The reaction of Bush and then the lack of reaction by the Press leaders themselves was a large part of the show. You could tell by the silence when Colbert got really close to the jugular.

There were really only two proper reactions to Colbert's performance, other than walking out which some of Bush's aides did. First, you could react with the response "Oh My God! He didn't really say THAT, did he??" Second you had to watch both Bush and the Media members as he skewered each of them and ask "How will they resolve the cognitive dissonance between their self-impressions as doing a professional job and Colbert's oh so clear demonstration that they have totally failed to do their jobs?"

For the first, watch the show. Bush got angry. He rejects such criticism and sends the critiques to the lowest Hell to which he can consign them. For the second, look at the description of the Media reaction I gave above. They tried to ignore him, and when they couldn't (a new experience for those who have for decades determined what was and was not news) they reacted by stating that Colbert failed. He just wasn't funny.

Only Colbert was hilarious. At their expense.

I am amazed. Stephen Colbert presented us with a really complex and timely performance which has a large number of layers. And he got it RIGHT!

Many will reject his performance (Bush is a prime example), many more will not get it, but a lot of people will first listen to their gut and them begin to unravel it to see what happened. Here it is, nine days later, and I am just now beginning to understand what he did.

I've never seen anything like it. Stephen Colbert needs some kind of award for that performance. Something other then the IRS audit he can expect.