Stephen Colbert Lampoons Bush at White House Dinner

[blackheart]

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002425363

Colbert Lampoons Bush at White House Correspondents Dinner-- President Not Amused?


By E&P Staff

Published: April 29, 2006 11:40 PM ET updated Sunday

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." In another slap at the news channel, he said: "I give people the truth, unfiltered by rational argument. I call it the No Fact Zone. Fox News, I own the copyright on that term."

He also reflected on the alleged good old days for the president, 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. “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.

The actual speech by Colbert:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcIRXur61II
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HN0INDOkFuo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJvar7BKwvQ

 

[tombeef]

On CNN this morning they reported that Colbert got A+ reviews from politicians and the press. Who's right?

 

[garric]

You have nothing to say about that article? What's the point of making a thread about it?

 

[blackheart]

You have nothing to say about that article? What's the point of making a thread about it?

Well, if you want me to tell you what to think about it, I think it's pure gold. Watch the clips and tell for yourself. And the point is to spread news, what else would it be?

 

[Tenochtitlan]

I have seen it on C-Span last night, and it was amazing.
The Bush double thing is a must see too.

It's available on youtube.com if your interested.

 

[Riesstiu IV]

Here's a clip from Colbert's roast.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HN0INDOkFuo&search=colbert%20bush

Edit: Beaten!

 

[CartesianFart]

You have nothing to say about that article? What's the point of making a thread about it?

I thought that was generous of Blackheart to share that with us.Is that what OT is all about,to share things amongst ourselves and ask each other of what our insights are?

I watched C-span frequent and missed that conference and all have to say is that it is interesting that really our country is relativistic in general,especially amongst the elite in Washington.Satire can reveal innerworking of others and can relax seriousness is what i am reflecting on right now.

 

[Fifty]

I'm watching it now and it's great

 

[Tenochtitlan]

Here's a clip from Colbert's roast.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HN0INDOkFuo&search=colbert%20bush

Edit: Beaten!

pwned!! ....

 

[amadeus]

Saw it, sucked.

 

[Snow]

That was awsome. Bush's routine was pretty funny too. Steven's would have gotten more laughs in front of his own crowd, this audience just wasn't comfortable with how blunt he was.

 

[amadeus]

Even from a neutral, entirely entertainment-minded point of view, his jokes weren't funny.

 

[CartesianFart]

Even from a neutral, entirely entertainment-minded point of view, his jokes weren't funny.

What was some of the jokes that you thought was not funny?I thought they were balanced to such degree of making fun of himself and the target subjects such as the President and the reporters.

 

[The Yankee]

Haven't seen it, maybe I will soon. But I did get a little kick out of that impersonator.

 

[kingjoshi]

Bush's jokes were laugh out loud funny. The other guy doing the impersonating, Bridges, was great.

Colbert hits hard with the truth. Straight from the gut. It's one of those hard insults where you're thinking, "Oh damn, did he just say that?" In that audience, some would laugh more but would find it inappropriate. Others were the ones being made fun of and his blunt satire hits hard. It's easy to take offense by his comments, versus how Bush and Bridges did their comedy.

Both are funny, but they're different kinds of funny. And Colbert's blunt satire seems more of a crticism, versus Bush and Bridges who are jovial.

EDIT: but some of Colbert's stuff is long and strung out...

 

[Neomega]

Even from a neutral, entirely entertainment-minded point of view, his jokes weren't funny.

Well, I don't see how you can try to present this view.

But I, as a rabid Bush hater, agree. Not very funny.

Even so, I like to see someone just stick it to the president like that. Maybe Bush will start to wake up and realize he will be the joke president in American history.... and not joke like Clinton, joke like Corky.

 

[Irish Caesar]

Saw it, sucked.

Agreed. He needed more material. There were a couple of funny lines, but most of the time was spent with old, out-dated jokes or just attempts to drag it out as long as possible...

I thought it was rather telling that part 1 (on the links in the OP) had 50,000 views while part 2 had only 30,000 and part 3 had less than 25,000.

 

[Goonie]

Even from a neutral, entirely entertainment-minded point of view, his jokes weren't funny.

Oh, come on!

I guess I just grew up on that kind of humour and love it.

 

[Irish Caesar]

Just watched the Bush double sketch, if you can call it that.

That one was a lot funnier than Colbert. And if Bush went before Colbert (as I think he did), that makes Colbert look even worse, because they used the same material...I find "I wish I could have had dinner with the 30% who agree with me" funnier than "the glass is a third full, and mostly backwash anyway."

 

[Alex the Great]

I did like the Bush impersonator thing, it seemed to oscillate between Bridges talking and him just representing Bush's thoughts. Rather clever, I say.

Stephen Colbert did a couple things wrong. First, he's funny when his audience is the 68% of average Americans whom he doesnt insult. In this case he was satirizing the people he was talking to, which makes it hard to get laughs. Second, he seemed to have stopping room in between his jokes, you could tell he had to each time look down at his cards. Whether it was because he was ill prepared or was expecting laughs, he kinda biffed it. Well, happens to all of us.