THE PRESS, THE PRESIDENT, AND A COMEDIAN WALK INTO A ROOM….It must be a slow day. Here’s the question du jour in the blogosphere: Is the mainstream media in the tank because it mostly ignored Stephen Colbert’s brutal and merciless skewering of the president at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday?
Beats me. I have a sneaking hunch that the featured comedian rarely gets very much news attention the next day ? last year’s news accounts focused almost exclusively on Laura Bush, you’ll remember ? but it would take a massive Nexis archeological expedition to find out for sure, and I don’t care nearly enough to do it. Maybe someone else will.
But did anyone notice that George Bush’s routine was every bit as pointed as Colbert’s? For those who didn’t see it, Bush worked with a double who acted as his “inner voice,” saying the things that Bush himself is forced to hold in. But despite the laughter it received, that inner voice made it crystal clear that Bush really didn’t want to be there and really doesn’t like having to pretend to laugh at their jokes. He was pissed off about the whole thing ? and that was before Colbert spoke.
So the evening featured a president who really does loathe the press and a comedian who really is disgusted by Bush. Is it any wonder that it wasn’t the most lighthearted correspondents’ dinner in memory?
