Preaching to the choir, but still...

Why Hasn't Stephen Colbert Gotten More Press Coverage?

Like [Harry Taylor, who has also publically criticized the President], Colbert was faced with a largely unsympathetic crowd (where Taylor received boos, Colbert's critique was met with the scattered, nervous laughter of a audience uncomfortable with a clear exposition of the truth). So why did the Harry Taylor moment get more media play?

The answer perhaps can be found in the President's response. The clips of Taylor included the President's jokes which minimized the importance of Taylor's dissent. They also included the President's "tough guy" response to Taylor-- "I'm not going to apologize for what I did on the terrorist surveillance program... you said, would I apologize for that? The answer-- answer is, absolutely not." The media line then was that Taylor challenged the President, who responsed with a tough defense of his policy. Taylor: 1, Bush: 1, no net gain. It's safe to report on a wash for the President.

But the President's response to Colbert was nothing more than pursed lips, red face, and a cold shoulder goodbye. The result was that Colbert's painfully truthful analysis of the Bush administration had none of that faux balance the media loves to employ as a substitute for actual journalism. Add to the mix that the critique included attacks on the media establishment as well, and it's not surprising that Colbert's Harry Taylor moment has been brushed off as the shtick of a comedian rather than the dissent of an American citizen.

In other words: the American newsmedia are a bunch of wussies.