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Winning Humor
By Zachary Ruchman, New Jersey
When comedian Steven Colbert (pronounced Cole-bear) announced that he was throwing his hat into the crowded ring of presidential candidates and was running on both the Democratic and Republic ballots in the state of South Carolina, millions of Americans cheered. But political pundits and talking heads, including Tim Russert, who interviewed the comedian on Meet the Press, didn't know whether to take him seriously.
"So along with the laughs, Riggle presented Daily Show devotees a different slice of real life for troops in Iraq. Colbert's $5000 campaign shenanigan did much the same, augmenting awareness and awakening a perspective about American democracy that hadn't been expressed." -Zach Ruchman
Colbert paid the required $5000 application to the Democratic Party but was barred from having his name on the ballot. His Republican bid never even left the ground when he refused to pay the hefty $35,000 fee.
A lesson in democratic shortcomings? Perhaps. But Colbert got back to business from his American eagle's nest serving up ‘truthiness' from the perch of his very popular The Colbert Report on Comedy Central and resting on the acclaim of his recently published book, Colbertnation I Am American and So Can You.
In another moment of apparent comedic political journalism, viewers of Jon Stewart's The Daily Show got a dose of raw-war humor when they saw correspondent Rob Riggle's live reports from Iraq. Though the adage, ‘behind every joke is an ounce of truth' might suggest that such entertainment is trying to influence views on current events, Riggle insists that is not the intention.
"If you watch The Daily Show and you get information from The Daily Show, that's great, that's awesome, but we're not a news show. We are a comedy show," Riggle said in a recent interview.
Riggle, who has been in combat operations in Liberia, Albania, Kosovo, Afghanistan and the Central African Republic as a Marine, was touring Iraq and Kuwait with the United Services Organization (USO) with fellow comedians Horatio Sanz, Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer. In Iraq for about a week and Kuwait for another few days, the comedic troop entertained soldiers at U.S. military outposts throughout the region.
Despite his impressive record - Riggle was promoted four times to Major and received numerous ribbons and medals including Combat Action Ribbons - Riggle said his background did not play a role in his skits. He was in Iraq to do what he loves most - to bring humor.
"I'm a comedian. That's my line," he insisted. "I was familiar with how to get on a helicopter and familiar with some of the terminology they were using, some of the acronyms and everything, but other than that I was wearing a totally different hat. I didn't have on my Marine hat, I had on my comedian hat. I was there to entertain."
And entertain he did. Riggle - not to be confused with fellow Daily Show correspondent Assif Mandvi who at first tried to steal Riggle's limelight claiming to be in Iraq and then begged not to be sent ("he was thrilled to death to be in New York in air conditioning") - introduced his week-long segments from DVQ ANACONDA, just outside the Green Zone.
In his inimitable way, Riggle went the comedic distance to prove that he was the real-deal in Iraq - from inside Black Hawk helicopters to the depths of cramped bomb shelters, Riggle was there alongside U.S. troops from early in the morning until late at night bringing hours of distraction to various battalions around the country. And, when Stewart asked him what it was like, he responded, "Well there's some tents and some tanks ... and it's hot as hell."
Though the USO asked Riggle and his colleagues not to make fun of the president, religion or anything misogynistic during their performances for the troops, everything was fair game for cable television.
One evening's report satirized Indiana Representative Mike Pence's ill conceived remark that the Shorja market in Iraq was "like a normal outdoor market in Indiana." In another segment, Riggle asked the soldiers how they felt about the Iraqi parliament taking a vacation while they continued to fight.
"Everything was fair game," he said. "They get the internet, they get the newspapers, they get CNN, MSNBC - they watch The Daily Show and Saturday Night Live, - they have squad bays and they have recreation tents and they are more aware of their situation than anybody. You don't have to walk on egg shells with these young people. They are very aware - more aware than most people."
And yes, along with the jokes, Riggle said everyone was very inspired by their mission. "Given the option they all want to come home," he said, "but that's not on the table so they are finding purpose in what they are doing and they seem pretty motivated."
Of course, the presence of The Daily Show cameras gave a big boost to the soldiers he met. Indeed, having Riggle and The Daily Show on-site encouraged participation. "We didn't want to bother [the soldiers] so we just walked up to them and said, ‘Got a minute? Want to do something for The Daily Show?'... Not one person said no."
Though they had put some thought into their segments before they left for Iraq, the comedians did most of their shows on the fly. "We were limited because we didn't go over there as journalists - we went over to do a USO tour. So we were limited in what we could take with us and the footprint we could make," Riggle said. "They had us on a pretty tight schedule so we had to grab what we could when we could so that meant obviously skipping some meals and running out on the base and trying to grab some shots," Riggle said.
Nevertheless, despite Riggle's protestations to the contrary, political satire of this sort is teaching people a good deal these days. Riggle's trip to Iraq gave Daily Show viewers an opportunity to see a different story from the daily fodder of headline news.
In fact, troops asked Riggle repeatedly why only bad news gets reported. "Why don't you ever report about the canals and the irrigation systems we are building for the farmers out here, or why don't you ever talk about the schools and hospitals we're building out here, and why don't you talk about the relationships we are building with the Sunnis to fight Al Qaeda together," Riggle said they wanted to know.
So along with the laughs, Riggle presented Daily Show devotees a different slice of real life for troops in Iraq. Colbert's $5000 campaign shenanigan did much the same, augmenting awareness and awakening a perspective about American democracy that hadn't been expressed.
Bearing witness to the dent Stewart and company and Colbert are making on the country's psyche is that fact while Colbert's bid was defeated before a single vote was cast, he has passed a number of respected contenders in the polls and he has the fastest-growing Facebook group on the Internet. Of course not wanting to make a political statement - Riggle thinks Colbert for President in 2008 is fantastic. "He should have been on the ballot in all fifty states," he said. "It's awesome and I think he could have won."
See Rob Riggle and the Daily Show team in Iraq - August 20, 2007- Operation Silent Thunder
