W00t! Four Years of Truthiness!

[captainsblog]

Stephen Colbert Enters South Carolina Primary

Asked in a world-exclusive interview if he plans to give up his show, Colbert said: "Do you think I'm a fool? Now that I'm a candidate, you people are going to be gunning for me, like you do for everybody." Not only will the program enable him to bite back at the press, he pointed out, but "you know what it pays to be a presidential candidate? Not well."

As for the inconvenient truth that he hasn't lived in the Palmetto State for years, the host of "The Colbert Report" went negative, daring the other candidates to match his appeal back home: "John Edwards left South Carolina when he was 1 year old. He had his chance. Saying his parents moved him -- that's the easy answer."

Colbert's chances may be less than slim, but in today's infotainment culture, he could draw precious media attention from the second-tier contenders. And he has a nightly platform to milk the spectacle for jokes, if not votes.

It'll be interesting to see how the mainstream Democratic candidates react, for every dollar of campaign money (and second of airtime) he takes is one fewer that can go to Obama or the Cackle.  And before anyone writes him off, consider that the last four two-term Presidents we elected were: a paranoiac crook, a mindless actor, a lecherous liar and a blithering idiot.  How could we do worse?

And that's the Wørd.