Stephen Colbert Speech Vetted by Secret Service
Hollywood insiders speaking on condition of anonymity have reported that speeches presented in front of the President are routinely vetted by the Secret Service for content, and "suggestions" for "corrections" are usually given if there's something in the speech that the Bush Administration deems to be inappropriate.
According to Hollywood comedians who have given presentations in front of George W. Bush It's very common for speeches to have their contents edited and altered by the Secret Service at the last minute before they're presented and -- because of the threat of being denied the ability to make their presentation -- it's just as routine for comedians to accept the "suggested" changes.
Last week Stephen Colbert (who is part of the Comedy Central cable television network's stable of evening talk shows) gave the keynote address at the annual White House Press Dinner and at that time his speech was closely examined by the Secret Service, suggestions were given and duly noted down on Colbert's speech notes.
When it came time to give the speech, however, the Hollywood insiders suggest that Colbert had deliberately handed the Secret Service copies of a fake speech and had allowed the Secret Service to offer suggestions on the fake speech -- which was ignored completely when Colbert launched into his now famous denunciation of the crimes and incompetence of Bush and his administration.
In retrospect after the fact, it would seem that the Hollywood comedians making these claims are almost certainly accurate in their reporting. It seems inconceivable that the Bush administration would have allowed Colbert to appear at the Dinner and to make his damning presentation had the Administration known what Colbert was going to say.
Because his speech and accompanying notes were routinely examined by the Secret Service, it seems reasonable that Colbert had given them a completely different (and non-embarrassing truthiness version) of his speech.
If this is at all true, it means that Stephen Colbert is even more of a true American patriot and hero than was previously suspected. It would mean that in addition to his laser-sharp wit in front of the camera, he's also a forward-thinking American hero behind it, thinking ten steps ahead of this criminal Administration.
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