After the Correspondent's Dinner in 2006, there was a kind of a lull, then the big guns came out & the Official Word From The Powers That Be was "Colbert Unfunny".

In fact, it was said that not only was he downright rude, but his performance was greeted with stony disapproval. The worst possible fate for a comic.

Typical reactions:

Thursday, May 4, 2006; Richard Cohen wrote in the WaPo

http://tinyurl.com/qo4f5

"On television, Colbert is often funny. But on his own show he appeals to a self-selected audience that reminds him often of his greatness. In Washington he was playing to a different crowd, and he failed dismally in the funny person's most solemn obligation: to use absurdity or contrast or hyperbole to elucidate -- to make people see things a little bit differently. He had a chance to tell the president and much of important (and self-important) Washington things it would have been good for them to hear. But he was, like much of the blogosphere itself, telling like-minded people what they already know and alienating all the others. In this sense, he was a man for our times.He also wasn't funny."

5/11/06, Omari Weekes wrote (The Knight News)

"This debacle of an event cannot only be placed on questionable casting and George W. Bush. The main problem with this whole thing is Stephen Colbert. Usually, the man is good for a laugh or two, but I did not laugh once throughout his whole speech. I sat behind my computer watching him on Google Video and I found myself thinking about what I would eat before I went to bed.

The question is not whether Colbert should have been as "controversial" as he was; the question is what is wrong with the media? Why should this have been a big deal? Stephen Colbert did no damage to the president's reputation. No one in the audience laughed or even took him seriously, and if the letters to the editor are any indication, very few people at home found Colbert amusing."

To get an idea read the story at Wikipedia,

http://tinyurl.com/mhfkx

particularly the section 'Early Press Coverage'.

Nope, these folks take themselves and their jobs very seriously. And doctors never ever ever rat on fellow doctors, even if they are incompetent.

Memory hole. Funny old world. Got a gripe about some a'hole flack cooking a story up that belittles the Democrats (a'la Joe Klein and Glen Greenwald's death grip on it), and it runs on and on and on and on and on. Murder a million brown folks who don't happen to be Americans and "phfffft", the story gets 30 odd letters, a couple of rants and the story sinks faster than a 500 pound bomb dropped on a wedding party. Talk about your priorities.

. . . and asses bray. Nothing new here.

Anonymous (Sheesh, gimme a break) righteously stammers, "Why don't all you loonies just have a little party and leave thoughtful, dialogue-engaged people alone? It's too bad my God and my religion prevent me from telling you to just fuck off entirely, because I'd sorely like to."

I'm opening the envelope now . . . and it looks like, yes . . . . . the winnah for the unintentionally-funny, angry, but thoughtful and dialogue-engaged guy with the healthiest self-esteem, and butter wouldn't melt in his mouth when it comes to talking about his Gawd & his religion award is . . .

anonymous.

The long journey from slapstick to satire starts by sticking your foot in your mouth . . .

lovely, made my day.

Time lies? Joe Klein has an agenda? Sheesh, who'd have thunk.

Meanwhile, Rumsfeldian/Podhoretzian logic prevails: the NIE (and everyone else -- because they're all rabid Bush-haters) are telling us that the Iranians aren't pursuing nukes -- but really they are, but they're hiding it because they hate Bush, freedom, free-marketism, the Troops, Israel, apple pie, mom, and cheap gas. THAT's the story. Dump the Time lies stuff -- that's a known known, as Donnie would say. Maybe we should concentrate on the really scary stuff . . .

Jaysus, but that's a nice thought. Am I the only person who cringes when I hear these sad old chestnuts:

Our troops are "defendin' democracy" and "fightin' for our freedoms"????

So, WTF are we doing in Iraq? Why are we lowering the limbo bar for new recruits -- and I do mean limbo bar. And why doesn't anyone bitch about the TRILLIONS of money poured down that particular hole?? Dang, but we need an Eisenhower or even, gawd forbid, a Truman to straighten this crap out.

"How many years did it take for the reputation of our military to recover from Vietnam?"

The military has never never never recovered from Vietnam . . .

Speaking of pompous asshats, we have a new 'un on the block -- zackandzanesmom -- who definitely has an agenda to push. Something tells me that you're one of the folks who calls herself a CHRISTIAN. Fine & dandy, no difference to me if you kneel before your concept of Gawd -- Cosmic Muffin or Hairy Thunderer -- just don't expect me, or Gawd forbid, my kids to do likewise.

Yah, yah. Not being a military kind of guy (I really can't see myself saying, "Sir, yes sir") unless it was for a real-deal cause (like defending democracy or defending the country), I have to ask you. Would you seriously want one of these sad little twists in a foxhole next to ya??? I think not . . .