Overview
In his show, The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert plays a strongly-opinionated but fearfully ignorant right-wing American journalist, in a perfect display of political satire. He regularly attends and speaks at political events in character, but has now gone even further, with a congressional testimony before the House Judiciary Committee on immigration - specifically, on the issue of migrant workers.
Some didn't appreciate Colbert's presence or the manner in which he chose to make his point, with the House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer saying on Fox News Sunday: "I think it was an embarrassment for Mr Colbert more than the House."
House Leader Nancy Pelosi disagreed. "Of course I think it's appropriate," she said. "He's an American. He can bring attention to an important issue. I think it's great."
We agree with Nancy. It may not be the most conventional way to make a point in Congress, but Colbert's humourous spoof drove his point home. That said - it's true, however, that perhaps the best part of the whole act was when he played it straight; a glimmer that showed for certain, and with no mistake, the power of his conviction.
