Stephen Colbert Rails On Treehuggers--Especially Carl Pope

"Have you ever gone all the way with a tree?"

. . . just one of several hard-hitting, inappropriate and consistently hilarious questions Stephen Colbert throws at Huffington Post Green's star blogger and Sierra Club executive director, Carl Pope. Colbert aired an interview with Pope this past Monday night, during his sidesplitting fake-news show, "The Colbert Report."

Eager to "expose" environmental lobbyists or what Colbert calls, "The Fightin Treehuggers," Colbert chides Pope for flying to the interview via airplane, not "spotted owl." Pope responds cool, calm and collected . . .

"Nobody who is human and lives in an industrial society doesn't leave a footprint on the Earth. But you can decide whether your footprint is going to be a small manageable one or a big gross one."

The interview continues as Pope describes George Bush as, "the most horrendous president in American history." Funny, Pope echoes this sentiment in his most recent blog post, "It's Official -- Bush Has Ruined the Market Value of the Whole Country!"

My favorite moment ensues when Colbert sheepishly interrupts Pope's talking point on oxygen to spray himself--for at least 2.5 minutes--with toxic aerosol hairspray and air freshener--hilarious! Though no doubt dizzy from asphyxiation, Pope weathers the noxious prank with poise and purpose, smiling just slightly while playing along.

The interview is simply great, but I'll keep quiet so not to ruin the funniest moments. Watch and enjoy!

Kudos to Pope for being such a trooper and many thanks to co-founder editor of Ecorazzi for sharing this hilarious clip in his post, "Stephen Colbert Goes After The Sierra Club's Carl Pope".

More . . .
:: Read Carl Pope's Blog.

Follow Olivia Zaleski on Twitter: www.twitter.com/oliviazaleski

Comments

[MGhamma]

'Word to your mother', this is satire.

[mamacat]

I am struck dumb. How could anyone not laugh at Colbert?

[OliviaZ]

Mamacat,
Is that comment for me? I know it's satire--read my post. As you can see from some of the comments below, however, some readers have not yet realized that Colbert is a "fake Hannity and O'Reilly" and really quite good at making fun of them too.

And for the record, I think Colbert is genius!

thanks for your comment. keep 'em coming.

Olivia Zaleski

[420]

for 200 + years these slash and burn group has run our country with little regard for our environment. Left up to them I would not a place to fish hunt or enjoy an old growth Redwood. Does eveything have to be exploited?

[philobama]

This illustrates the Gore Befriend All paradox: colbert, beck, oil, coal, etc. lobbyists are really not interested in anything but the most inane babble where the display their pathetic ability to yell, mispunctuate or otherwise spill dredge, oral and otherwise. But then how do we try to explain to them why? I think the easiest way is simply to acknowledge that they have different interests: Colbert, Beck, BOR and Hannity simply wish to make money off of silly babble. Murdoch and CNN will pay them because otheres buy the time, among them those listed above. Now the Vice President can race around in cavalcades and from time to time fly Southwest, or he can assume an important role in the next administration. Cheney, Rumsfeld did this 8 years ago. It would be helpful to be constructive this time. So my hope is that he, Carl, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and others who dearly care about the public interest and welfare will do that in a few months. My fear is that the Clinton pro growth center leftovers will conrol these levers. Clonsider Deval Patrick if you doubt this. And Al and Carl will be left to tea with Boone. I suppose that could be helpful.

[Melimelo]

If you would lump Colbert in with the likes of Hannity, you clearly have never watched the Colbert Report.

Stephen Colbert is an American hero.

[philobama]

I appreciate your criticism. It seems to me that even amongst those of us who are very concerned about climate change, some make unfortunate light of it. I believe we are in the midst of a critical effort to gain public support for taking actions that should long ago have been initiated. But Live Earth, Colbert's satire and other occasions only take away from the serious challenges. Sure, one might say, lighten up. But it seems to me that we've seen as John Kerry and Al Gore have pointed out, among others, way too many years of this already. And I just found this skit too inane. As for Colbert being an American hero, I am just not there with you. Abraham Lincoln, yes. FDR, yes. G.I. Joe, as Tony Blair has said, yes. Colbert, I wish he would be a bit more creative. Carl certainly played along with him.

[Melimelo]

If you would lump Colbert in with the likes of Hannity, you clearly have never watched the Colbert Show.

[Wigelah]

Do you really think that Stephen honestly expected Pope to fly to the interview via spotted owl? I can't even imagine putting Hannity and Colbert in the same sentence unless it begins "Colbert is to Hannity as". Keep your sense of humor folks....it's really important these days.

[leduck]

hahhhahhaaa
yep...,
let see how hard Mr. Colbert laughs when gas prices are $15.00 dollars a gallon
and all that drilling off shore and in alaska only drops the price by less then a buck
hhahhahahaa

[chosenson]

Folks, the Colbert Report is SATIRE!! Take everything he says and improvise with the "opposite". His show basically mocks shows like Hannity and O'Reilly. He is imitating and mocking them. Again, take a deep breath and say "SATIRE".

[Melimelo]

He's not really a heartless republican, he just plays one on TV. The Peabody award-winning Colbert Report is designed to expose people to the greed and short-sightedness of the Bush administration and other corrupt members of political organizations, businesses, and the media in a lighthearted, funny, and easily digestible format. I assure you that he does NOT support offshore drilling or other forms of environmental degradation.

[enilorac]

Thanks for introding me to Carl Pope. What a Gentle Giant. Seems like a true public servant and such a gentleman.
Jon Powers really naughty, funny, a funnyman, a true Court Jester.
He went to Dartmouth. See you did too Olivia.
Must be all that Green up there in the woods of New Hampshire that got to you, the Big Green.
There's a huge conservative contigent at that school, from way back, so glad you don't exactly fit that mold ( ha mold, as in moldie green sludge, as in those who support the most horrible President we ever had and who was voted in ( kind of ) by all those green sludge people around the country, now who are having to eat.....sludge ).

[mainmonkey]

I recommend the Sierra Club weekly podcast. Carl Pope does a brief segment each week on politics and the environment.

[strandwolf]

I recall that back just after Bush & Co. got in power, Pope asserted that the goal of the neocons was to bankrupt the govt (though lower taxes and astronomical military splurging) so that all the existing and proposed social and environmental programs could no longer be funded. He made quite a compelling case for his theory, and we're yet headed that way.

[speakyourmind]

I was rolling! GREAT as always!!