Stephen Colbert's testimony: 'Inappropriate' or incisive?

Republicans, and even some Democratic leaders, say having Colbert testify in character was a mistake. Are they missing the punch line?

Stephen Colbert broke character, briefly, during his opening and closing statements.
(Image credit: YouTube)

The backlash continues over House Democrats' decision to invite Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert to testify at a Friday immigration hearing — in his TV persona as a faux-outraged conservative. The politicians on the Sunday talk shows weren't laughing: Republicans criticized his appearance as a time-wasting mockery of Congress, and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) agreed it was "not appropriate," though more embarrassing "for Mr. Colbert... than the House." Only House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) applauded Colbert's efforts to bring attention to the issue of immigrant farm-workers. Did Dems mess up? (Watch Steny Hoyer's comments)

Colbert's critics should be embarrassed: If you've only seen the "same few gags" that cable news keeps repeating, says The Daily Athenaeum in an editorial, you missed the core of Colbert's testimony, "when [he] broke character and got to the heart of his argument." Of course "politicians and media analysts" didn't like his "biting" take on an important, ignored-in-practice issue: "It took a comedian to point out how ludicrous the debate had become."

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