How Colbert Saved Me From Myself by Craig Crawford

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-crawford/how-colbert-saved-me-from_b_20488.html

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I am a bit late to the rodeo on this one, as I broke my arm after last Saturday's White House Correspondents Dinner (guess you could say President Bush disarmed this critic). But thank goodness Stephen Colbert was on hand to jolt me out of my swoon for the new Bush.

The fake one, that is. I really liked the inner Bush as played by impersonator Steve Bridges. It was reminiscent of John Wayne after his flawless all-American routine began to wear thin at the box office. He all but parodied his earlier he-man roles in the part of the boozy anti-hero Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn, a character far removed from the strait-laced heroes that made Wayne famous. And it finally won him an Oscar.

But enter Colbert just in time, before the president's comedy duo routine had me ready to put on an eye patch and march off to Iran with George "Rooster" Bush. Despite my Percocet-induced haze this week I gathered that there was quite the to-do about Colbert. All I know is that I was wiping away tears of laughter after the Comedy Central star's brilliant send-up (although I did notice that only a handful of folks at the tables around me were visibly amused).

Colbert spared no one, and Lord knows that none of us should be. In a hilarious passage that still makes me laugh at this writing, Colbert lampooned the entire country's jingoistic madness, from commerce to war-making, when he said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I believe it's yogurt. But I refuse to believe it's not butter." For all the high and mighty whiners out there, I'll relay what Colbert told me in the green room before I did his show a few months ago. "I hope you understand that I play a character on this show," he said. "I play a complete idiot." And a gloriously funny idiot he is, played to perfection at last week's dinner. At least he was the one just playing the fool. - crawfordslist.com

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[eleny]

1. Well how about that!

:headbang:

[AtomicKitten]

2. Wow, I never knew Colbert shared his schtick.

Some of his guests seem genuinely clueless.

I am delighted to hear a media person applaud a man that deserves every bit of praise he gets. Colbert does a brilliant parody. And he gave to everyone good that night.

[Hissyspit]

11. Could be he lets SOME in on the joke and not others...

I've always wondered about that.

[Catherine Vincent]

3. I like Craig Crawford

He's pretty cool.

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

4. He ran once for a state legislative seat (as a Dem) in FL

some years ago.

[lyonn]

5. Craig seems to be best when on Keith Olberman's show

He would be one to appreciate Colbert's style as his is similar, he doesn't come straight at you with his views. Smart feller.

[Coexist]

13. Have you read 'Attack the Messenger'?

It's his book and how the Bush administrations (I and II) cowed the media.

It is very good stuff.

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

16. No, but I've thought about picking up the book.

[Janice325]

6. Maybe that's why Dana Milbank was on Keith Olbermann's

Countdown to talk about Colbert, i.e., Craig had broken his arm. Maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part, but I certainly would have preferred Craig's comments about "the Dinner" instead of that boring,no sense of humor Milbank.
Thanks a bunch for the link! :woohoo:
k&r

[AmericanDream]

7. Have always liked Crawford and this proves why nt

[oasis]

8. Crawford's been"tellin' it like it is" for a good while. eom

[opihimoimoi]

9. Crawford needs to find more LISTENERs

Kick

[MaineDem]

10. Excellent

Thanks for posting this.

[sasha031]

12. Crawford is one of the few I will listen to

Milbank and the lot appear to me to be pompoius ass's. Crawford seems to have a good ence of humor and is honest.

and of course I'm in love with Cobert

[Catherine Vincent]

14. LOL! I see.

He's got that eyebrow thing going just like Fitgerald....



I've tried raising one eyebrow like that but I just can't do it! :-)

[Patsy Stone]

15. Aw, Craig...

I love ya, and I had no doubt that you'd "get it". I hope your arm feels better soon. :loveya:

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

17. Check out his website and blog at crawfordslist.com.

It's pretty good stuff; he responds a lot.

[Lisa]

18. an excellent point! The fictional Dubya ....

... that is, the character assumed by Bush when he's campaigning or trying to woo people ... is much more charming when Bridges is playing him. Bush himself is either too incompetent or too lazy to keep it up. I thought it was interesting how many people, even here at DU, noted that they liked the double better than the actual guy. So the contrast is quite evident, even though the Bridges version is the one that Bush's campaign team aims for.

And who better to skewer a fictional President than a fictional talk-show host? Thinking about it, I doubt whether any straightforward criticism would have been as effective as Colbert's effort was. Rove and Co. figured they had hit upon a guaranteed strategy for defusing complaints, by bringing on that double act. Just standing up and grilling them, like at a press conference, would have looked incongruous. It would be like challenging a mall Santa about the commercialization of Christmas!