Colbert Spices White House Correspondents Dinner

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Why is everyone so excited about Stephen Colbert's tribute to President Bush during the White House Correspondents Association' Dinner last Saturday? "Everyone" was there (click here for the guest list). OK, let's grant to M. Colbert that he prepared a dish for Mr. Bush that was -- how shall we say? -- very well seasoned and spiced, yet hearty and meaty? Television does not seem to breed reduction except when producing soundbytes, but clearly there was a lot of content and preparation in M. Colbert's delivery. OK, he was hot -- hot enough to get onto 60 Minutes the very next evening. Honor where honor is due. Has anyone realized that Colbert was also the evening's chef? He roasted Mr. Bush -- and served up Helen Thomas as the wholesome, natural alternative. Who is Helen Thomas, some of you younger readers may ask? She is none other than the veteran White House senior correspondent, most famously for United Press International and now for the Hearst Newspapers. On March 21, 2006, she grilled the President over the Iraq War. Consequently, while rabid neo-conservative Republican hacks like Michelle Malkin (don't even get started on Ann Coulter) make a name for themselves by riding (or tromping) on Ms. Thomas' coattails (see her "Today's Helen Thomas Moment") and would likely follow up the evening by pegging Ms. Thomas as a stalker, that is still only a tribute to Ms. Thomas' integrity. Helen Thomas of course is a stalker -- a watchdog -- an integral member and leader of the American press corps. Honor where honor is due. So, M. Colbert served her up nicely as the model for the White House correspondents. The big question remains: do you think the correspondents got beyond just tasting her and really digested her? (For a great, new article about Helen Thomas' impact on journalism, read "Calling Helen Thomas" -- and read about some up-and-coming women journalists like Newsweek's Lorraine Ali and NBC's Hoda Kotb.) Video: C-SPAN (Real format only) Free Video Blog Salon Media Matters Crooks and Liars (Quicktime .MOV format) YouTube Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 Related news: Editor & Publisher New York Daily News Washington Post MSNBC Los Angeles Times Guardian Washington Post U.S. News & World Report MTV News Editor & Publisher Editor & Publisher Washington Post Related blogs: Technorati Weblog Salon Daily Kos - Colbert tag Gawker Crooks & Liars USA Today - On Deadline SFGate Culture Blog CBS News - Public Eye Chicago Tribune - Swamp (blog) Previous articles: Jack Abramoff's Chef Morou of Signatures State of the Union: Food Terrorism Cristeta Comerford: First White House Woman Chef White House Chef: Close to the Bone? Plame-Rove Affair: Culinary Institute of America Supreme Court Justice: White House Chef White House Chef Jokes: Lick Your Plate The White House: Think Like a Chef Inauguration Spells Alphabet Soup Disaster Politics, Chefs & Elections Politics, Billboards & Champagne Politics, Chefs & Billboards Inside Scoop on Dinner in the Control Room [Chefs & Politics - complete] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging, Helen Thomas, Stephen Colbert, Colbert --> back to superchefblog