Letters to the Editor
gradysu
Published Letters: 158 Editor's Choice: 40
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In the land of the blind, the four-eyed man is king!!
[Read the article: Colbert's smart bomb]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Wow, he was fantastic! But how depressing is it that, in a room full of "journalists," the only one with the guts to challenge the President is a satirist? It's a sad commentary on what a bunch of smug, spineless stenographers the Washington media are, when people are leaping in ecstasy that someone finally called them on their dereliction of duty--and are pretty much ready to canonize the guy.
Usually, these dinners feature comedians who either are toothless clowns (ie Leno), or people who do offer some biting satire--but only in the direction of the politicians, leaving the journalists to feel as if they are "in on the whole thing" and/or feeling as if they have actually challenged the politicians as well, if only by proxy.
But Colbert skewered the whole room, and didn't leave a single piece of smug conventional wisdom (ie "maverick McCain") in his wake.
People are going to be swapping phrases from this performance like baseball cards, talking about which are their favorites. Mine was the part about Bush's skill at "standing on things" for photo ops following national tragedies in which his humongous incompetence played a central role, ie 9/11 and Katrina.
I do, however, wish that Scalia hadn't been so freaking amused; he's such a thick-headed egomaniac I don't even think he knew he was being mocked. Because God knows it's impossible to believe he has either a sense of humor about himself or any sense of how he is perceived.
But wow. What a performance. Finally, someone has spoken truth to the "truthinessists." On both sides of the podium. I never thought I'd say this, but when they rerun it, I'll be TIVO-ing C-Span!!
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Remember Bush's "Where are those dagnabbit WMDs" gag?
[Read the article: A Democrat knocks Colbert, says Bush "deserves some respect"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I don't remember Hoyer saying that the troops deserved more respect than to have their Commander in Chief appearing in a skit at a Correspondents' Dinner about looking for WMDs under the White House furniture.
He sent these people off to be killed--for a lie--and then joked about it. Talk about offensive. Where was Steny (and by the way, what the f@#$#@$@#$@#% kind of name is that?), or any other Republican, for that matter, with his high dudgeon then? (Even the Democrats didn't condemn Bush for that the way they should have...)
Respect is earned. As is contempt. Bush has earned a mountainful of the latter.
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Dismissing a threat is a more effective approach than attacking it...
[Read the article: Making Colbert go away]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I think that most people who'd like this whole Colbert thing to go away (ie the Bushies and the mainstream media) probably believe that airily dismissing him as unfunny is more effective than saying he was offensive or out of line--which would then require them to quote what he said, all of which was spot-on and true.
If his delivery wasn't at its peak, it's probably because the crowd was pretty freaking hostile--especially when it became clear he wasn't going to play into their "aren't we the hippest, most knowing people in the world" self-congratulatory shit.
It's hard to be funny in front of a room full of people who are glaring daggers at you. He got very little by way of encouragement from the audience--which only makes it more awesome that he soldiered on and didn't get intimidated.
The fact is, he said things the media haven't been willing to say, even though it's their job and frankly their duty to say these things. And most people don't cuddle up to those who shame them--especially when the shame is 100% justified.
As for the Iraq jokes, apparently the "no WMDs" skits are funny only if you're the guy who sent all those soldiers over there to be slaughtered needlessly.
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One of the longest War Room items ever--for this?
[Read the article: Karl Rove, Jason Leopold and the hunt for the truth]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I usually turn to War Room for fast, snappy accounts of breaking stories I'll read more about later. But this one was: a) not fast; b) not snappy; and c) not something I need to read about later.
I suspect Leopold's story, tantalizing as it is, probably is largely unfounded in its specific facts (ie, it's crap) even though I fervently hope and pray--and believe--Rove will be indicted. Did it really merit so much screen space? About twice as much as the average story about the latest Bush adminsitration screw-up--you know, something that actually affects people's LIVES?!?
This is blogger defensiveness at its nadir. Yes, it's irritating when the mainstream media use a false story like this to discredit the blogosphere. But the fact that bloggers largely discredited it could have been summed up a lot more succinctly and a lot less petulantly. Stop the navel-gazing and defensive rants, already, and get back to the real news.
Thanks!!
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Is it really that touching when people cry for themselves?
[Read the article: The tears of Snow]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Has Tony ever shed a tear for the 44 million Americans--a number that has climbed steadily since his boss became President--who have NO health insurance and therefore would not have access to the miracle drugs that saved him? Lucky Tony--he benefited from the best healthcare money can buy. Even most Americans WITH insurance aren't that fortunate.
I think it's also worth investigating just how long he's worn that bracelet, which would probably be easy enough to do just by looking at old Fox footage. Is it a new accessory, designed to elicit questions from the press corps and therefore teary responses?
And what else is he doing to aid the victims of this illness? Giving money to research? Promoting colonoscopies? Urging the President toward universal healthcare?
I'm guessing none of the above. What a shameless act of self-pity and grandstanding.
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How long will the media let them get away with the weapons inspectors myth?
[Read the article: From Colbert's video to the White House briefing room]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]How many times is this administration going to get away with the propaganda that the inspectors were not allowed to do their jobs? I love Helen Thomas, but why didn't she say, um excuse me, but the inspectors were all over Iraq like a rash!! Or why didn't another reporter follow up on this? Or why don't the Democrats blow this myth away? Are they worried that they'll look like they are defending Saddam?
It's just maddening the way this myth, like so many others propagated by this administration, has hardened into conventional "wisdom."