It exists! Reading your emails and the blogospheric response, it seems the humor is not really the issue. Colbert has become a popular hero simply for sticking it to the president in public. One emailer writes:
Colbert said what he said to the president’s face. That’s the significance of it. And it’s significant because the president never stands for criticism from anyone.
Others are more paranoid:
Do you think that maybe the media was once again protecting the president from humiliation? I think it was supposed to be a light and humorous night and Colbert cut a bit too deep for the image that the press (and the administration) wanted to give. Whether you believe he bombed or not does not matter. Colbert went up there and told president Bush to his face what he thought, and the fact that so many bloggers are cheering him on suggests that this is a sentiment that people around the country (world) have. If nothing else the press should report that someone had the courage to speak for the way a large group of people feel, even if the comedy bombed. That is newsworthy! People want this to be news but news outlets are not providing it as news. There is an imbalance whether you think it deserves press or not.
I think Colbert played the role of the court jester. That’s an important and significant role. Watching part of the routine online, I can see the point. A British reader adds:
I’ve seen the video. He didn’t misfire – he punctured a bubble. If only for a moment. Good on him.
I concur.
The Dish 