Stephen Colbert Rips President Bush And Press Corp At Correspondents Dinner...

...Neither seemed amused.

In just shy of 30 minutes, Stephen Colbert did a better job at taking this administration to task than anyone else in recent memory. And he did it with President Bush sitting (increasingly uncomfortably) a few feet away.

In his address, Stephen Colbert took on everyone in the room- the administration that has screwed up our country and the press that has largely forgotten that journalism is more than just soundbites. He pulled no punches, no cow was sacred. The Iraq debacle, the President's belief in his policies despite logic or facts, global warming, all the photo-ops, NSA spying, New Orleans, the Plame leak, Justice Scalia's obscene gesture, Jeff Gannon, the failures of the press corp to hold the administration accountable, the Rumsfeld controversy, and the real nature of Sen. McCain... no subject was left untouched. It was scorch-the-earth comedy at its finest.

Stephen spoke truth to power. He said many of the things people in the room likely think, but will not say. He made people gasp. And he did it all while staying in his know-it-all Republican pundit character. That takes talent.

By the end, the only people smiling were Colbert himself and Helen Thomas (who had helped Stephen work on a pre-taped skit with him as White House Press Secretary avoiding her questions on Iraq). When the President left, he slapped Colbert on the arm in lieu of shaking his hand and stormed off. The First Lady wouldn't even give Colbert that; she didn't stand up or move when he went to say goodbye to her. The President is not used to being so openly criticized and no doubt he was madder than Pat Robertson at an evolution lecture. One wonders what he said upon leaving the room. "Have the Rolling Stones killed!"

The press also did not seem to appreciate being ripped a new one by Master Colbert (think of the reaction Jon Stewart received- or didn't receive- at the Oscars by the Hollywood elite). The audience of DC elite did not appreciate being mocked at their own dinner. Keep in mind that these are the same people who laughed hysterically in 2004 when the President pretended to look for non-existent WMDs in his office. In an election year, where our soldiers were dying in Iraq for those non-existent weapons, the press and politicians in attendance found the President's schtick hilarious. But when Colbert takes them to task for being asleep at the wheel for the past few years- then they were offended.

To his credit, Stephen did not flinch and continued on. He wasn't there to make friends.

This is already creating HUGE buzz all of the blogosphere (though not in the official news reports, which are focusing on the President's unfunny routine at the Dinner). I think that's interesting. We are so used to not seeing the President so openly confronted that when he was- by the guy hired to playfully joke around with them- it's a big deal. This isn't like Frank Rich taking swipes at W in the NY Times editorial page or Keith Olbermann criticizing a particular story on MSNBC. This was public and direct in a way that few besides Colbert could've pulled off.

I'm sure the conservative blogs will blow this off as much ado about nothing and not something deserving of such attention, but the look on the President's face at the end says otherwise. Clearly, this was an unprecedented and unflinching critique of his administration. Which, of course, is why his defenders at sites like National Review are panning the performance and why Drudge is leading with the President's tired doppelganger bit. One commenter at a conservative blog said "I cannot believe our president was forced to endure this disgusting insult. I am beyond ashamed." I suppose it is a real shame his Majesty had to sit through that. Next year- Larry the Cable Guy.

Bottom line on that note- If Michelle Malkin hated him, you know he performed brilliantly.

Video here at Crooks and Liars (A torrent download is available here).

My favorite quotes-

-"Guys like us, we don’t pay attention to the polls. We know that polls are just a collection of statistics that people are thinking in ‘reality’. And ‘reality’ has a well known liberal bias."

-"I stand by this man because he stands for things. Not only for things, he stands on things. Things like aircraft carriers, and rubble, and recently flooded city squares. And that sends a strong message that no matter what happens to America she will always rebound with the most powerfully staged photo-ops in the world."

-"Joe Wilson…the most famous husband since Desi Arnez."

-"I believe the government that governs best is the government that governs least. And by these standards we have set up a fabulous government in Iraq."

-"[Debating Jesse Jackson] is like boxing a glacier. Enjoy that metaphor, by the way, because your grandchildren will have no idea what a glacier is."

-"I am surrounded by the liberal media who are destroying this country, except for Fox News. Fox believes in presenting both sides—the president’s side and the vice president’s side ... You [the media] should spend more time with your families, write that novel you've always wanted to write. You know, the one about the fearless reporter who stands up to the administration. You know-- fiction."

Editor and Publisher looked at the address and the reactions to it:
Colbert Lampoons Bush at White House Correspondents Dinner-- President Does Not Seem Amused

To anyone who didn't see the Dinner, you might ask "is this really a big deal? why blog about this?". It's a good question. Is it because I just enjoy seeing Bush mocked? No, I can go to any number of websites for that. I find very little amusing about this administration at this point anyway. It's because when presented with the honor of hosting this masturbatory farce of a dinner, Colbert took the opportunity to speak his mind and say the things that I believe in, but will never get to say to our President.

Tonight, Stephen Colbert was all of us- all 68% of us Americans who are disillusioned about our leadership. In the age of spin, the truth(iness) hurts. Thanks to Stephen for making my weekend complete.