I bow to few in my admiration of Stephen Colbert, a brilliant comedian as well as a rather fascinating human being.
But I wonder if his big move from Comedy Central, where he inhabited the character of a right-wing blowhard pundit on The Colbert Report, to CBS, where he took over from the legendary David Letterman as host of The Late Show, is really going to work.
While Colbert's main competition, NBC's Jimmy Fallon and his Tonight Show, wins the ratings battle by gushing over celebrities and playing after-dinner games, Colbert invites guests who can discuss religion, business, technology, science and politics. Yes, especially politics. His interview with Donald Rumsfeld yesterday, for instance, while not revelatory, was more substantive than you would find on most 'serious' news shows. When was the last time you heard a late-night comedian ask 'Does a secretary of defense affect policy or implement policy?'
Enjoy the Colbert policy seminars while they last. And if Colbert's Late Show does survive, we will know there is hope for America in the age of Trump.