Thursday, January 18, 2007

Colbert Does a Borat

Dinesh D'Souza has a new book out called The Enemy at Home: The Cultural Left and It's Responsibility for 9/11. Dinesh D'Souza is an insane conservative, but this is redundant. Colbert had him on last night and elicited an amazing admission from him. Behold:
COLBERT: Well what can we do? Because I am with you that there is this depraved, destructive element in our culture that invites attacks by Islamic extremists. But what can we do to get the attacks straight to them and leave us alone? Because there are certainly real Americans like you and me and then liberal Americans who don't deserve our protection or our liberties.
(Just parenthetically, it bears mentioning that with a set-up like this, D'Souza should have recognized he was in the satiric crosshairs. He doesn't.)
D'SOUZA: Look, I'm not--we cannot convince the Islamic radicals, but--

COLBERT: But you can convince me.

D'SOUZA: Not you. There are a lot of traditional Muslims who have traditional values not very different from traditional Jewish or traditional Christian values.
COLBERT: And can we just hold hands in brotherhood and use our free hands to stone gay people? Is that possible?

D'SOUZA: No, I--Look, homosexuality exists all over the world--

COLBERT: Right, but it's our responsibility to stop it here, not everywhere in the world.

D'SOUZA: No, but there's a difference between something that's allowed or tolerated and something that is seen as given social sanction. That's I think what makes a lot of traditional Muslims uneasy. Here's all I'm saying: why don't we show them a little more of the traditional America. That will undermine bin Laden's argument that we're all a bunch of athiests; that will undermine bin Laden's idea that America is trying to project--

COLBERT: So--
(I mean, Colbert's show is one of the more popular buzz shows in the country right now. It's not likely D'Souza is still unaware of his schtick, right? I mean, he really didn't just set Colbert up by arguing that bin Laden was right, did he?)
COLBERT: So what other cultural editing notes should we take from the terrorists?

D'SOUZA: It's not editing notes, it's a matter of--

COLBERT: No, I agree with you, there are some good ideas these guys have. This is what you're saying, that there's some part of our culture that are corrosive and you agree with some of the things they're saying.

D'SOUZA: I'm saying that--

COLBERT: No, you have the courage to say that, right? That you agree with some of the things that these radical extremists are against in America?

D'SOUZA: I'm more concerned--

COLBERT: Do you agree with that statement?

D'SOUZA: Well no, I'm, I'm--

COLBERT: Just do you agree with that statement?

D'SOUZA: I agree with it.

COLBERT: Okay, good. Finally, someone has the courage to say that there are things in America that the liberals do that are causing our destruction.

D'SOUZA: Okay, that's going too far.

COLBERT: Well, but that's what you're saying: (reading the title of D'Souza's book) The Cultural Left and It's Responsibility for 9/11. That's why I had you on the show, because I agree with that statement.
Jaw-droppingly amazing. I'll try to put up some video when its posted on YouTube. Crooks and Liars has the clip.

[Update. YouTube? YouTube? We don't need no stinkin' YouTube!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

yeah, that was a brilliant piece...what are the agents for these guys thinking when they send them on the Daily Show and Colbert? any press is good press?

Jeff Alworth said...

In this case, that axiom failed the PR geniuses...

Anonymous said...

i could probably get a phd out of a study on conservative thinker's inability to comprehend satire, and various other forms of humor.

where can i get one of those stewert/colbert '08 shirts?

Unknown said...

So what other cultural editing notes should we take from the terrorists?

I used to think that my reasoning skills and grasp of history were weak but compared to D'Souza, I'm some kind of mastermind. My favorite part of the interview was what you cited but the close runner-up was this:

Colbert: Doesn't some of the blame lay at FDR's doorstep?

...

D'Souza: FDR gave away Eastern Europe through Yalta and then the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan and the Muslims had to fight back and that's where bin Laden got his start.


1945 ... 1979 ... 2001 It's so simple!

Jeff Alworth said...

Hank: http://www.cafepress.com/buy/stewart+colbert?CMP=KNC-G-EF>Stewart/Colbert '08

Robin: some righties have become those little dolls from the 70s--you pull the string and they spit out a pre-recorded message. "Yalta!"

Anonymous said...

Yeahhhh!
Finally!
This is the way to cope with the faithhead!