Stephen Who?

The mainstream media continues to ignore Stephen Colbert's takedown of, well, the mainstream media (along with the Bush Administration, of course). Here's a typical example (from CNN's Showbiz Tonight, hosted by bubbling Brooke Anderson):

ANDERSON: Well, the president doesn`t seem to be letting the criticism get to him. As a matter of fact, over the weekend you could have said "Live from Washington, it`s Saturday Night starring President Bush." The president put on a skit for the annual dinner for White House reporters over the weekend, and he brought along a look-alike, sound-alike sidekick to say what the president was really thinking. It`s the skit that everybody`s talking about! Take a look.


(Editor's Note: Watch this only if you enjoy pain)

ANDERSON: Nice to see that self-deprecating humor. The featured entertainer at the dinner was Comedy Central`s Steve Colbert, but I think it`s safe to say the president and the impersonator, Steve Bridges, really stole the show.

Oh really? Fortunately, Jon Stewart saw the same show. His take? Colbert was "ballsalicious." Onegoodmove has the video (which also includes Colbert's take on the speech). And Salon has a great article on Colbert:

"...a master of the old-world art of irony. For Colbert, the punch line is just the addendum. The joke is in the setup. The meat of his act is not in his barbs but his character -- the dry idiot, 'Stephen Colbert,' God-fearing pitchman, patriotic American, red-blooded pundit and champion of 'truthiness.' 'I'm a simple man with a simple mind,' the deadpan Colbert announced at the dinner. 'I hold a simple set of beliefs that I live by. Number one, I believe in America. I believe it exists. My gut tells me I live there.'"

Update: For some reason, onegoodmove cut off the tail end of Colbert's bit about Saturday night's White House Correspondents Dinner. So, I bring you not only the "ridiculous" tail end but also Colbert's thoughts on celebrities and their "proper" role in society:

(Click to watch)