BCT Editorial – 1/28/07

This page was last updated on January 28, 2007.

Fool’s paradise; Editorial; Beaver County Times; January 28, 2007.

Since October 2004, this is at least the seventh time a Times editorial has referenced either “The Daily Show” or its spin-off, “The Colbert Report,” and provides the fourth reference in three months. It never ceases to amaze me the Times gives two political comedy shows such credibility.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject editorial.

“In the plays of William Shakespeare, fools often speak the truth or utter words of wisdom that others fear to say to the powerful.”

[RWC] I’m a bit confused. Though this and other editorials hold up Messrs. Colbert and Stewart as fonts of wisdom, this editorial also appears to refer to them as fools. I just checked my dictionary, and there’s no definition of fool that can be interpreted as a positive trait.

“They could do so without fear of retaliation because nobody took them seriously. They were good for a laugh, but no one really gave much credence to what they said, often with tragic consequences. Many comedians today are providing the same insights.

“Take Jon Stewart’s reaction to a proposal President Bush made in his State of the Union address on Tuesday. Bush wants to establish a special advisory council on the war on terror that would be made up of leaders in Congress from both political parties.

“Stewart, the host of Comedy Central’s fake news program ‘The Daily Show,’ read this bit of news, looked at the camera and noted that such a body already exists, and that it’s called Congress.”

[RWC] Couldn’t Mr. Stewart have made the same comment about every existing congressional committee? In truth, how different is President Bush’s proposal than having congressional committees for defense, intelligence, transportation, et cetera? I’m not saying we need another committee, but the recommendation is no different from how Congress has focused on other important issues.

“In that brief moment of fake astonishment, Stewart summed up the Bush White House’s total disregard for Congress and its role as an equal branch of government and a roll-over-and-play-dead Congress that has shirked its oversight responsibilities of the executive branch for the last six years.”

[RWC] If there were so many alleged cases of “the Bush White House’s total disregard for Congress,” why didn’t the editorial list even a few?

You have to give the Times an “A” for hypocrisy. How many times have we read editorials calling for “independent panels” to handle issues that are “too political?” Does anyone care to guess the Times position on the 9/11 Commission and the Iraq ~~Surrender~~ Study Group?

“Stewart is not alone. His Comedy Central colleague Stephen Colbert of ‘The Colbert Report’ is equally informative and insightful, and late night hosts like David Letterman and Jay Leno aren’t far behind.

“Given the state of American politics and governance today, we truly are living in a fool’s paradise.”

[RWC] I guess that means the editorial authors should feel right at home.