Stephen Colbert congratulates Russia on belatedly winning the Cold War

Stephen Colbert congratulates Russia on its belated Cold War victory
(Image credit: Late Show)

On Monday, the last Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, told The Associated Press that America blew its chance to create an era of global stability when it declined to step in with aid after the Soviet Union collapsed at the end of the Cold War. "They were rubbing their hands, saying, 'How nice! We had been trying to do something about the Soviet Union for decades, and it ate itself up!'" Gorbachev said. On Monday's Late Show, Stephen Colbert seemed unsure if the United States actually won the Cold War after all. Exhibit A: Donald Trump and his Russian-linked Cabinet choices, most recently ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, his pick for America's top diplomat.

"I gotta say, Rex Tillerson could be one of the most oil tycoon names of all time, right behind Tex Drillerson," he said. "It's a great name, and I know a lot of names so far have been floated for secretary of state, but Tillerson might have the edge because he is close to Vladimir Putin." The big, potentially related story of the day, though, is the CIA's assessment that Russian hackers worked to get Trump elected, Colbert said. "So Trump was right — the election was rigged."

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.