Thank god for Stephen Colbert

The President and the press got their asses handed to them at the White House Correspondents Dinner by Mr. Stephen Colbert. Did you hear about it in the mainstream news? Read about it in the mainstream newspapers? Probably not, because they hardly made any mention of it. Colbert gave the keynote speech in character. Here's a taste and remember Bush is sitting mere feet away from him:

Now, I know there are some polls out there saying this man has a 32% approval rating. But guys like us, we don't pay attention to the polls. We know that polls are just a collection of statistics that reflect what people are thinking in "reality." And reality has a well-known liberal bias.

Check out the entire trascript:
Re-Improved Colbert transcript

Here's another snippet:

I stand by this man. I stand by this man because he stands for things. Not only for things, he stands on things. Things like aircraft carriers and rubble and recently flooded city squares. And that sends a strong message, that no matter what happens to America, she will always rebound -- with the most powerfully staged photo ops in the world.

Jon Stewart gave his old employee some love for the performance:

Jon Stewart on Colbert's Dinner Speech:

"NEW YORK Probably to no one's surprise, Jon Stewart, host of Comedy Central's 'Daily Show,' hailed the performance of his stablemate Stephen Colbert at Saturday night's White House Correspondents dinner. Colbert's lampooning of the president and the press has generated a good deal of praise and criticism.

'It was balls-alicious,' Stewart said. 'Apparently he was under the impression that they'd hired him to do what he does every night on television' -- that is, make fun of conservatives, public officials, and the press in the guise of an O'Reillyesque talk show host.

'We've never been prouder of him, but HOLY ----,' Stewart added."

Here's what some folks are saying about the performance:

Culture Blog!:

"Bush glowered. Laura looked confused. Scott McClellan was like a dead deer caught in the headlights. Many of the journalists, celebs, ranking generals and other 'notables' at the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner laughed openly, albeit uncomfortably, as Stephen Colbert of 'The Colbert Report' just made himself about 500 times more of a national treasure and cemented himself as one of the most fearless satirists of this generation (instantly outpacing Jon Stewart, who, you get the feeling, wouldn't have had the nerve to go as far as Colbert did) by way of a savage and hilarious roast/takedown of President Bush, who was seated not eight feet away.

Have you heard? Did you see? You simply must. It was a revelation."

White House Briefing:

"Colbert was merciless, reserving his most potent zingers for the people in spitting distance: The president who took the nation to war on false pretenses and the press corps that let him do it.

The boozy bonhomie of the annual event is intended to serve as a balm for the often tense relationship between the White House and the reporters who cover it.

Bush largely delivered on his side of the bargain. Colbert delivered something else entirely."

Here's a couple more snippets. It's just too good:

But, listen, let's review the rules. Here's how it works: the president makes decisions. He's the decider. The press secretary announces those decisions, and you people of the press type those decisions down. Make, announce, type. Just put 'em through a spell check and go home. Get to know your family again. Make love to your wife. Write that novel you got kicking around in your head. You know, the one about the intrepid Washington reporter with the courage to stand up to the administration. You know - fiction!

and...

So the White House has personnel changes. Then you write, "Oh, they're just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic." First of all, that is a terrible metaphor. This administration is not sinking. This administration is soaring. If anything, they are rearranging the deck chairs on the Hindenburg!

Go to the following site and leave Colbert a thank you message for sticking it to the man and the corporate shills called the press:

Thank You Stephen Colbert.

A couple of sucky polls for the Pole in Chief.

34 - Sour news for GOP in poll

Poll: Gas Prices, Iraq Weigh Down Bush - CBS News:

"(CBS) With gas prices sky-high and no end of the Iraq war in sight, President George W. Bush's approval rating hits an all-time low in a new CBS News poll.

Only 33 percent approve of his job performance, Mr. Bush's lowest approval rating yet in CBS News polls. A majority – 58 percent of those polled – say they disapprove of the president. Mr. Bush appears to be losing support from his own party. His approval rating among Republicans has dropped to 68 percent."