Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying

In his column today, Howard Kurtz discusses (sort of) the uproar over Stephen Colbert’s weekend verbal ambush of President Bush at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner. Mr. Kurtz complains that the liberal blogs are claiming a cover-up of the weekend’s goings on:

What’s more, you may be interested to know that there’s a MEDIA COVERUP of the Colbert performance. The MSM don’t want you to know about how the Comedy Central man made them look bad! (Never mind that the thing was carried on C-SPAN and the video is widely available online. I played two clips of Colbert on my CNN show, so apparently I didn’t get the memo.)

I am wondering how many people watch C-SPAN on a typical Saturday night. I will go out on a limb and venture that most people are probably not tuned to C-SPAN at that time. Mr. Kurtz also asserts that the video is widely available online. I believe the video is available on liberal blogs such as Crooks & Liars and on C-SPAN. Again, I will venture that the general public does not run to the C-SPAN website for the news. So, that leaves us the liberal blogs to give us the news that Stephen Colbert indeed was at the event and that he delivered a stinging commentary on this Administration’s policies.

Was there a MSM cover-up? I don’t think so. But did the MSM ignore the inconvenient Colbert segment at the dinner. Absolutely. Howard Kurtz might have considered, for example, the article by Elisabeth Bumiller in the New York Times about the dinner. How many times does this article in the paper of record mention Stephen Colbert? Zero. It does not even mention that he was there. Mr. Kurtz might want to spend another column discussing why it is that the MSM ignored Stephen Colbert. Now that would be biting media criticism.

Instead, Mr. Kurtz spends the remainder of the article discussing how the Stephen Colbert episode has become fodder for bloggers on both sides of the aisle. Although he does me the honor of citing my article on the topic (personal note: next time you cite me Mr. Kurtz, please cite my original post and not my cross post on Daily Kos. Thanks a bunch!), he misses the importance of the event by reducing it to a right-versus-left food fight.

It is a significant event when the leader of the free world is held at attention for 20 minutes and roundly rebuked for all the world to see. Whether it was funny or appropriate is debatable and quite frankly irrelevant. Whether it was news worthy is beyond doubt. This story will resonate in spite of the major news outlets’ general disinterest.

My suggestion to Howard Kurtz is that he get ahead of this story before this story runs him over.

Stephen Colbert just finished speaking truthiness to power at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner. Standing at the podium only a few feet from President Bush, Colbert launched an all out assault on the policies of this Administration. It was remarkable, though painful at times, to watch. It may also have been the first time that anyone has been this blunt with this President.

Here are some highlights:

• "Because we are not so different, he and I. We both get it. Guys like us, we’re not some brainiacs on the nerd patrol. We are not members of the factanista. We go straight from the gut. Right sir. That’s where the truth lies. Right down here in the gut."
• "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."
• "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."
• "The last third is usually backwash."
• "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."
• "The greatest thing about this man is that he is steady. You know where he stands. He believes the same thing Wednesday that he believed on Monday - no matter what happened Tuesday. Events can change, this man’s beliefs never will."
• "Fox News gives you both sides of every story - the President’s side and the Vice President’s side."
• "This Administration is not sinking. This Administration is soaring. If anything they are rearranging the deck chairs on the Hindenburg."
• "Justice Scalia, may I be the first to say welcome sir! [Colbert flicks fingers from under chin at Scalia in Sicilian gesture]"
• "Mayor Nagin, I would like to welcome you to Washington, DC - the chocolate city with a marshmallow center…and a graham cracker crust of corruption."
• "Joe Wilson…the most famous husband since Desi Arnez."
• New Press Secretary Tony Snow.. Secret Service name: Snow Job."
• "I would have made a fabulous Press Secretary. I have nothing but contempt for these people."

By the end of Colbert’s routine, Bush was visibly uncomfortable. Colbert ended with a video featuring Helen Thomas repeatedly asking why we invaded Iraq. That is a question President Bush has yet to answer to the American public.

 I am not sure what kind of review Stephen Colbert’s performance will get in the press. One thing is however certain - his performance was important and will reverberate.