Harwood On Congressional Stephen Colbert: 'One Of Dumbest Stunts I've Ever Seen'

Newsbusters.org:

John Harwood was not amused . . .

Harwood, chief Washington correspondent for CNBC and political writer for the New York Times, offered a surprisingly harsh assessment of Stephen Colbert's testimony, in Colbert Show character, before Congress yesterday.

Harwood ripped the episode in response to Lester Holt's observation, on this morning's Today show, that he didn't know whether to cringe or laugh. Harwood had no doubts, saying "it was all cringing for me," and went on to lambaste it from there . . .

LESTER HOLT: We showed a moment ago, Stephen Colbert testifying on immigration before a congressional hearing yesterday.  I didn't know whether to cringe or to laugh.  I think members of Congress kind of felt the same. Give me your take on what happened yesterday.

JOHN HARWOOD: Well it was all cringing for me.  I thought that was one of the dumbest stunts that I've ever seen in the Congress, making a mockery of a congressional hearing.  I understand the reason why, which is that they thought Stephen Colbert, as he said, has some star power that can bring some attention to an issue that isn't getting a lot of attention. But if you think that the attention from that hearing was on immigration, that proved out to be a terrible miscalculation, because it was more about the theater, the comedy, and as Savannah [Guthrie] indicated in her piece, it deepened that sense among many Americans I suspect that Congress is a joke.  And you look at Congress' approval ratings, they're 15, 20, 25% and I don't think that's what they needed.

Joe Biden Thanks George W. Bush On The Colbert Report: 'You Deserve A Lot Of Credit'

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HuffPo.com:

Vice President Joe Biden spoke with Stephen Colbert Wednesday night and took the opportunity to directly commend former President George W. Bush for his part in helping to usher in the end of combat operations in Iraq.

"Mr. President, thank you," Biden said of Bush during his interview in a "Colbert Report" "Been There Won That" special. "You've honored these guys, you've honored these women, you've honored these troops. And I've known you your entire eight years as president. I've never known a time when you didn't CARE about happened. We disagreed on policy. But you deserve a lot of credit, Mr. President."

It's about time they acknowledged and thanked the man who gave Iraq democracy.

Stephen Colbert Takes Down Glenn Beck

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Stephen Colbert Mocks Conservative Pundits For Claims Of Reverse Racism

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Funny and more importantly, on point.

Stephen Colbert Tells Meghan McCain, 'You're More Liberal Than President Obama'

Newsbusters.org:

Meghan McCain was again provided with a national outlet for her "moderate" Republican views with her appearance on "The Colbert Report" on May 18. Host Stephen Colbert said to her, "You're more liberal than President Obama. Is that how you see the future of Republican Party going?"

"I'm liberal on social issues," McCain responded

Later in the interview McCain explained her views: "All I'm trying to say is it can be a party for a 24-year-old pro-sex woman. It can be. I just think that we have people that are in this party that are hijacking it and - trying to make it more extreme."

A self described "pro-sex, pro-life and pro-gay marriage" Republican, McCain would prefer the Republican Party stray away from abstinence only education and drop its support for the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.

Jon Stewart Has Palin Derangement Syndrome

It's no secret that the best thing ever produced by The Jon Stewart Show is Stephen Colbert, because Colbert is genuinely funny and does political satire in a way that makes you feel comfortable regardless of which side of the political aisle you're on. On the other hand Stewart is not only unfunny, but too often he just can't hide his smug, contempt for non-liberals while his show produces bitter, arrogant slapstick more than anything else, not satire. Any wonder the real Jon Stewart is such a prick:

Speaking to a college audience in Boston, Mass. Friday, "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart used his stand-up routine to respond to Sarah Palin's comments about "pro-America" parts of the country, shedding the profanity restrictions that govern his Comedy Central show.

"She said that small towns, that's the part of the country she really likes going to because that's the pro-America part of the country. You know, I just want to say to her, just very quickly: [expletive] you," Stewart said to raucous applause.

Palin addressed a North Carolina fund-raiser Thursday night saying, "We believe that the best of America is not all in Washington, D.C. We believe...that the best of America is in these small towns that we get to visit, and in these wonderful little pockets of what I call the real America, being here with all of you hard working very patriotic, very pro-America areas of this great nation."

The comment was quickly picked up by media outlets and the Obama campaign, whose spokesman Bill Burton asked in an e-mail to reporters, "What part of the country isn’t pro-America?"

Stewart didn't let his own harsh language stop him from criticizing John McCain and Palin for divisiveness.

"I can't take it anymore...After eight years of this divisiveness, we're back to this idea that only small-town America is the real America," he said.

The Manhattan native accused the Republicans of "writing off whole swaths of the country," saying "cities are just a lot of towns piled on top of each other in one place. "

During the same routine, however, he seemed to write off Palin's rural swath of the country, referring to the governor's home not as Alaska, Wasilla, or Juneau, but as "the woods."

"McCain made an interesting vice presidential choice," he said. "I like the woods...I just don't know if I would pull my vice president out of the woods randomly."

Stephen Colbert Needs Your Vote!

"The Colbert Report" host Stephen Colbert announced that he will be running for President in 2008. Considering his late entry into the race and the fact that he's joining an already crowded field, Colbert said that he'll run in South Carolina and only campaign in that state. He also said he would run as a Democrat and a Republican, so that he could "lose twice."

Said Colbert, "After nearly 15 minutes of soul searching, I have heard the call. Nation, I will seek the office of the president of the United States. I am doing it! I am from South Carolina, I am for South Carolina and I defy any other candidate to pander more to the people of South Carolina."

Stephen Colbert is one of the funniest guys in TV land and I think he's got what it takes to give this country the swift ass-kicking it needs. Finally, a guy I can vote for without second thoughts.

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