A ROAST BY ANY OTHER NAME

There has been quite a bit of chatter about whether comedian Stephen Colbert went too far at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. He certainly provided a smart, albeit scathing monologue for the President's bemusement (and, hopefully, his later reflection). Apparently, the norm for these dinners in past years was to keep it light so the relationship between the President and the press could remain cordial.

I feel that for a president like Gerald Ford - that might have been warranted. He certainly was a klutz and that is a mainstay of comedy. Who didn't like Lucille Ball? However, in light of how bad George Bush has been as president, I think the monologue Stephen Colbert delivered was right on target. He touched on many of this administration's failures: the war in Iraq, illegal wire tapping, and Valerie "she who shall not be named" Plame among others.

It was a terrific roast, although calling it a "roast" is sort of like calling a witch burning a bon fire. Stephen Colbert was a brilliant 1st Amendment warrior that night, pointing out the fallacies to the very face of arguably the worst American president in history. George Bush has been insolated in the warm embryonic waters of his Republican handlers for far too long. We need more people like Stephen Colbert to call out politicians who pander to the special interests and who pursue their own private agendas above the needs of the country and the American people. I think we need more roasts exactly in this vein. Light fare shouldn't be on the menu when we have a growing list of American war casualties, out of control deficits, and an administration that feels it is above the law. Well done Mr. Colbert!

If you didn't get to see it, check out the sites below:

http://www.thankyoustephencolbert.org/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-durang/ignoring-colbert-part-tw_b_20130.html
http://movies.crooksandliars.com/WH-Dinner-Colber.mov