The Humorless Cohen

I can't name the exact date I stopped paying much attention to Richard Cohen, it's been several years now since I discovered this old liberal voice had, in fact, become an aging and scolding curmodgeon. I didn't realize he'd also lost his sense of humor until a reference to his article on Steve Colbert's scolding here at the Hinkley Hilton last week caught my eye.

So I read the piece. Cohen joins those reporter scolds who say that Colbert shouldn't have made fun of the president (as one said, it's a place to make fun of onceself and others, not just others).

So my question to the people who hired Colbert is -- have you never watched his show?!!!

Cohen starts out his piece by saying that " I am a funny guy" then goes on to call Colbert a rude bully, quote Colbert, "Colbert made jokes about Bush's approval rating, which hovers in the middle 30s. He made jokes about Bush's intelligence, mockingly comparing it to his own. 'We're not some brainiacs on nerd patrol,' he said. Boy, that's funny."

Actually Dick, it is pretty funny. As was most of the rest of Colbert's act that night, which I caught on ol C-Span.

I think part of Dick's humor problem may be what has brought such odd reviews out from other journalists about Colbert's performance that night. Something they don't mention much is that he also took THEM to task for their miserable reporting skills. Chidding them for letting Bush get away with the WMD and other lies.

Apparently to these journalists, it's not so funny when we point out that they weren't (and still aren't) doing their jobs.