James Wolcott on Colbert: Mission accomplished

[CatWoman]

A note about the Stephen Colbert monologue at the Correspondents' Dinner that Elisabeth Bumiller seems to have slept through face-down in her entree. No question the stint played better on TV than it did in the room with C-SPAN cutting to gowned lovelies in the audience with glaceed expressions and tuxedo'd men making with the nervous eyes, but to say he "bombed" or "stunk up the place" (Jonah Goldberg's usual elegance) is wishful thinking on behalf of the wishful thinkers on the right, who have nothing but wishful thinking to prop them up during the day.

I know what bombing looks like. It looks like Don Imus when he did a standup monologue before President and Hillary Clinton, and went over so badly that sweat broke out in rivulets down his face and in parts unseen. What triggered the perspiration cascade was a sexual innuendo about how Clinton rooted for his favorite football team by yelling, "Go baby!" at the TV, which Imus remarked was probably not the first time he had voiced such a giddyup--an allusion to Clinton's poontang exploits, if you'll pardon the expression. Imus gave such a crass performance and caused such embarrassment to himself and everybody in the room that there were calls for apologies and he was in danger of being as contaminated as Whoopie Goldberg and Ted Danson briefly were after their unfortunate blackface episode.

See, that was Colbert's mistake. He didn't slip in any smutty lines. Had he done so, his standup would have been impossible to ignore as the Fox News hotheads would have gone into full outrage mode to defend the honor of Laura Bush and her virgin ears. Instead, Colbert was cool, methodical, and mercilessly ironic, not getting rattled when the audience quieted with discomfort (and resorting to self-deprecating "savers," as most comedians do), but closing in on the kill, as unsparing of the press as he was of the president. I mean no disrespect to Jon Stewart to say that in the same circumstances, he would have resorted to shtick; Colbert didn't. Apart from flubbing the water-half-empty joke about Bush's poll ratings, he was in full command of his tone, comic inflection, and line of attack.

The we-are-not-amused smile Laura Bush gave him when he left the podium was a priceless tribute to the displeasure he incurred. To me, Colbert looked very relaxed after the Bushes left the room and he greeted audience members, signed autographs. And why wouldn't he be? He achieved exactly what he wanted to achieve, delivered the message he intended to deliver. Mission accomplished.

http://jameswolcott.com/archives/2006/05/two_top_pros.php

[AndyA]

1. Kicked and recommended.

Perfect explanation of the evening's events. Colbert was sublime.

[Spazito]

2. Still reading but I just HAD to post how I love this comment from

the very beginning of his comments:

"...the Correspondents' Dinner that Elisabeth Bumiller seems to have slept through face-down in her entree." :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

RIGHT ON!!

[wryter2000]

6. My favorite bit

is wishful thinking on behalf of the wishful thinkers on the right, who have nothing but wishful thinking to prop them up during the day.

Wolcott's amazing.

[Spazito]

8. He does have a way with words, doesn't he!

Love reading him, home truths written in a way that brings a very big smile to my face at times.

[TexasLawyer]

10. yeah, that's

a keeper!

[NewYorkerfromMass]

16. Yeah, that had me too

but by far, the best thing Colbert said, and had to have zinged Bush right between the eyes, below the belt, and through the heart (pretty hard to do that all in one shot, but a testament to Colbert's brilliance) was this:

"...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."

Can you imagine Bush's naked-emporer-caught-in-the-headlights look?

[Spazito]

18. LOL re caught in the headlights comment...

I, too, thought that was breathtaking in it's stripping bush bare of any bits of clothing he might have still had. It was one of those "gasp, rofl, gasp, rofl" moments for me when I watched it.

[fearthem]

3. GREAT piece, thanks for sharing it!

[MazeRat7]

4. Mission Accomplished indeed. Good and accurate review. Thanks. (n/t)

[Mr_Spock]

5. I like that take on Colbert

It's right on with how I see what Colbert accomplished. :D

K&R

[Dhalgren]

7. K&R! A dead on review of a wonderful performance!

[kittenpants]

9. James Wolcott: Patriot & "it-getter"

btw, has everyone thanked Stephen (or at least seen this page?)
http://thankyoustephencolbert.org/

[TahitiNut]

11. Wolcott demonstrably comprehends Colbert's entire shtick.

If the Washington press corps are the lap dogs, and the rest of the mainstream press are the nap dogs, the ranks of CNN, MSNBC and Fox News are the yap dogs; the attack poodles in James Wolcott’s hilarious evisceration of US right wing media.

According to the longtime Vanity Fair contributor, the attack poodles really came into their own after September 11, when the US press as a whole “unplugged and warehoused its bullshit detectors…becoming an accessory to the Bush agenda, its amplifier.” Any voices of dissent, or even sober caution, were deemed un-American or even treasonous. By the time of the buildup to Gulf War 2, there was no place in the mainstream media “for pink-pantied appeasers in the steel cage death match between George (Texas Executioner) Bush and Sam (Butcher of Baghdad) Hussein.”

http://www.commonground.ca/iss/0503164/cg164_Attack.shtml

[radio4progressives]

12. I was soooo WRONG about Colbert....

several days ago i posted disparaging remarks about Colbert... i perceived him to shill for the christian taliban and their ilk...

he says he's an independent, i perceived him to be a conservative independent...

whether or not Colbert is a conservative independent or not, he's certainly no bushbot bush licker which i had often perceived him to be shilling for.

i happened to see a part of an interview with him (i think was on c-span before the press dinner, if memory serves) and it was a treat to see him "out of charachter" to get a real sense of where he's coming from.

sometimes irony is delivered so well that it seems like the genuine article. his performance at the press dinner was superb and i completely agree with the OP...

i think all the hand wringing and dissing even among those on the left - are either as in the dark about what he's really about as i was, or their own "sensibilities" are as much of the problem as the hypocrites on the right, and why it is honest dialogue and debate about "facts on the ground" is never advanced in the corporate media, which is why the agenda to diss Colbert like Michael Moore, Cindy Sheehan, Dixie Chicks and on and on are so vital to their corporate/washington belt agenda..

keep bringing fiction to american viewers, revise history, and reconstruct reality -- and in between - create phony issues and phony "outrage" to distract americans from what's really at issue or important.

[kittenpants]

13. yeah, I remember that thread.

I was surprised how many DUers thought he had a conservative agenda. Anyway, welcome to the Colbert Nation!:toast:

[saracat]

22. Wow! How could you have believed that? What was your basis for it?

Colbert has always had a liberal bent . It was obvious on "the Daily Show." What made you think otherwise?

[peace13]

14. Colbert, a true patriot! n/t

[EVDebs]

24. Patriot, with Oak Leaf Clusters ! eom

[BlooInBloo]

15. I lessthan3 Wolcott

[Inland]

19. Bronze medal, Arcane Reference. nt

[wicket]

17. I love James Wolcott!

:kick:

[Jade Fox]

20. I still wanna know who arranged for Colbert's performance....

and if she/he is still alive!

I love James Wolcott. The reason the audience didn't laugh is because they were being skewered!

[saracat]

21. Smith, the President of the WH correspondents guild. He said

He expected Colbert to "skewer the Press and the President". He said he found "Colbert very funny".

[ComerPerro]

23. LOL, Laura Bush and her virgin ears. Faux would try to argue that

despite her "horse masturbation" jokes...