THE COLBERT QUESTION: MADAM LEADER SPEAKS. TNR is to be commended for reviving the epic Stephen Colbert funniness debate for another week. But as James Wood puts it, "[i]t is time -- it is always time -- for some literary criticism." Wood's take is insufficiently pro-Colbert by my standards but insightful nonetheless. (See this post at Matt's place for a choice excerpt.) The Colbert debate living on for another day gives me the excuse to finally mention Nancy Pelosi's comment at a breakfast meeting with journalists that the Prospect held on Friday. As it was adjourning I approached the congresswoman and said that we had all been dancing around the real issue of the day: What was her position on Colbert's speech? Pelosi ducked the question, while still making it clear which side she's really on: "Well, I wasn't at the dinner and didn't see the performance. But I watch his show every night and love him." (Recall that Pelosi's second-in-command, K-Street Democrat Steny Hoyer, had already publicly taken the wankerific line on the subject.)
Meanwhile, following from Ezra and Garance's posts, it's worth mentioning that Pelosi's response to a question about Howard Dean and the DNC was unmistakably hostile (in a passive-aggressive way) and in keeping with the criticisms voiced by other congressional leaders recently.
--Sam Rosenfeld
