Letters to the Editor
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Well said, Sean Murphy
I simply had to comment on how well-written and on-target Sean Murphy's response is to Cohen's take on Colbert. I actually printed Sean's letter so I could save it. It's fiery and brimming with appropriate outrage at the sheep on the "left" (in this case, Richard Cohen), and I say, RIGHT ON. I certainly hope Cohen has read your opinion, Sean.
My view is that Colbert wasn't funny in the typical sense of the word. And I have been schooled in civility long enough to have felt uncomfortable on behalf of the President, loathesome and culpable as he is.
However, at each playing of the videoclip, I also felt goosebumps at witnessing something akin to greatness. I get chills even thinking about it. Colbert is simply the bravest man out there today, and I mean BAR NO ONE in the political or media worlds. To stand in front of this small, despicable ruler and wield the knife of scorn as piercingly as Colbert did was outside the realm of personal courage that the likes of Cohen, a man not unfamiliar with adversity, has ever imagined. I promise you the President has not ever in his life faced a time as personally painful as this speech by Colbert, nor will he. I don't think I'm overstating it. Jonathan Swift and Charles Dickens came to mind immediately, and Colbert's performance made Mark Twain's satire look positively affectionate. I think this is the way intelligent writers and thinkers operated in those old days, and Cohen's discomfort at the prospect of being rude speaks volumes. To him I say: Get out of the business.
I should make the point that Colbert wasn't merely brave. His devastating satire was so much more than that. It was dead-on accurate. Yes, it was rude; yes, it made W (and therefore everybody else) uncomfortable. BUT THIS IS THE MAN WHOSE POLICIES HAVE CAUSED THE DEATHS OF THOUSANDS OF INNOCENTS AND THE DESTRUCTION OF OUR COUNTRY'S REPUTATION. I'm so glad Colbert never let up. It amazed me that he never faltered in the midst such a hostile, nervous audience. This thing was historical.
btw: Did anybody else get the sense, early on, that the President was confused? I mean, this is a man who doesn't GET satire. I honestly think for a while that he didn't understand why Colbert was SEEMING like a right-wing wacko who worshipped Bush at the same time that he seemed to be insulting him. Sitting there with that stupid smile on his face wondering why Colbert's words didn't match the vague feeling that he was being reamed. I can only imagine what was going on in his head...