Lexington: The frowning clown

摘要

For a politician, appearing on a live television news programme can be gruelling, but at least the ground rules are fair. The interviewer will pitch hard questions, but not ridiculous ones, and your replies will be broadcast in their entirety. Not so if you appear on "The Colbert Report", a satirical show on Comedy Central, a cable channel. The host, Stephen Colbert, typically spends two hours pitching questions such as: "If you could embalm anyone in Congress, who would it be?" (This was to Phil Hare, a Democratic congressman from Illinois who once considered becoming a mortician.) Mr Colbert edits the footage down to the funniest five minutes and broadcasts it. Under these rules no politician, no matter how quick-witted, can win.