Colbert Defends Palin, Angry Political Rhetoric (VIDEO)

While last night's "Daily Show" took a swipe at Congressional "quick fixes" after the shooting in Arizona, "The Colbert Report" focused on the media's "right to rage" in the wake of the tragedy. In the popular "Word" segment, Stephen Colbert defended our right to "Life, liberty and the pursuit of angriness."

The now infamous "crosshairs" map has been used as an example of the kind of angry rhetoric that may have influenced the shooting in Arizona, but according to Colbert, "graphics are not a call to action." Even if they were, Colbert showed a clip where SarahPAC employee Rebecca Mansour said the crosshairs were actually "surveyor's symbols."

"Which explains why this map of surveyor's symbols was immediately taken down from the Palin website," Colbert rationalized. "Because Sarah Palin knows that now is not the time to determine land elevation."

Colbert also used Palin's "blood libel" comment during her "State of my living room address" this week to back up his argument. Agreeing with Palin that angry political rhetoric didn't cause "apolitical" Jared Lee Loughner to attack, Colbert went so far as to say that angry political rhetoric is actually good for us.

"So if there's no evidence that incendiary rhetoric has any connection to this unspeakable horror, it logically follows that it must be good. After all, there's no telling how many lives I've saved by yelling 'fire' in a crowded movie theater."

Watch the rest of the segment to see how Glenn Beck fits into all this.

WATCH:

Comments

[NomadicView]

01:39 PM on 01/20/2011

Has anybody else heard about that strange Sarah Palin story involving a goat in China? http://goo.gl/ZHq1Y Freaky!

[Lvm]

02:45 PM on 01/19/2011

OMG, the Beck thing had me crying with laughter!

[sorrytobeakansan]

05:53 PM on 01/17/2011

This is the voice our young people are listening to. Thank God.

[svasol]

08:41 PM on 01/16/2011

That was SOOO well done Stephen! God Bless!

[Artos]

08:10 PM on 01/16/2011

Rethugs are masters of the Turnabout, The only ones who were as good or better were the Soviets. Call them out publicly about something that it is obvious that everyone has seen already and they will still manage to convince us that they didn't do it.  I think they have even gotten so good at it that they even manage to convince themselves that they didn't do it. That takes real artistry or prestidigitation.

[cliffhammond]

11:41 AM on 01/15/2011

Pity there's not a teabagger on the planet who could understand his satire.

[Madbunny]

10:59 PM on 01/16/2011

Bizarrely, they don't understand that it's satire.

[bcnaz]

12:51 PM on 01/19/2011

They don't understand. Period.

[NomadicView]

01:39 PM on 01/20/2011

Speaking of that, I've been reading about those Nine newly discovered Nostradamus prophecies about Sarah Palin? That's just weird!
http://nomadicjoe.blogspot.com/2011/01/nine-newly-found-nostradamus-prophecies.html

retweet maybe

[kbeth]

10:46 AM on 01/15/2011

Sooo..great!! Love him!!

[Pundit Commentator]

07:16 AM on 01/15/2011

colbert is razor sharp

[Nana610]

03:16 AM on 01/15/2011

Daaaayum. I love Colbert!!!

[kfdan]

02:32 AM on 01/15/2011

Yes Colbert ... 'Freedom of Screech' is a fundamental right!

[Stephen Bunn]

09:54 PM on 01/14/2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XSUurae97k

[CessnaDriverI72]

04:56 PM on 01/14/2011

Am I the only one who noticed the Quitta's mispronunciation of the word "pundit"?

[SLS11]

07:12 PM on 01/14/2011

Nope! She said "Pundant", like "Pendant", but with a "u" instead of the "e".

[CessnaDriverI72]

07:40 PM on 01/14/2011

Oh, thank goodness, I thought I was a voice in the wilderness.

[Sue Bryant]

01:22 PM on 01/14/2011

Palin has a guilty conscience. Everyone knows those are not 'surveyors symbols', they are cross hairs or 'bullseyes', as Palin called them. Did they directly cause the shooting? Highly doubtful. Are they lame and does Palin use violent rhetoric at times. She can't even own up to the fact that she called them 'bullseyes', doesn't mean they caused the shooting.

[CessnaDriverI72]

02:28 PM on 01/14/2011

I have always said that if someone you once threatened later comes to harm, expect to be busy for a while.

[applescruff]

12:29 PM on 01/14/2011

Colbert is a treasure. Check out clips from some of his projects from before the Colbert Report. "Exit 57" and "Strangers with Candy" are classic.

[HeadlessHessian]

12:19 PM on 01/14/2011

Brilliantly excellent!