Speaking Truthiness to Power

To this day, I still have no idea why they booked Stephen Colbert to speak at the White House Correspondents Dinner in 2006.

It is, without exception, the best use of satire I have witnessed - in real-time - in my life. A thrill that is comparable, I imagine, to reciting Voltaire at Versailles or passing out copies of A Modest Proposal in London.

When the history books are written and Bush's legacy is determined - an eventuality that seems to occupy his mind more than the present demands of the office - I would not at all be surprised if Colbert's speech was counted as the first, best, most serious and well-articulated challenge to this administration.

Below is the footage in three parts that clock in - together - at a little over 26 minutes. Well-worth it for the visible discomfort the speech causes an unsuspecting Bush. Hmmm. "Unsuspecting Bush." That's kind of redundant, isn't it?

Part 1:



Part 2:



Part 3:



The only sad aspect of the video is how long it took someone to grow a pair big enough to talk like this. And to laugh so loudly at a man who has worked so tirelessly to insulate himself from criticism.